Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

Introduction

The Mother of All Magic is a most blessed goddess, revered by all races for her bestowal of the majestic Art. While some argue she is not the greatest of all the deities that watch over Toril, there is no doubting her place of power amongst the divine assembly. Sages of old tell us that Mystryl, as she was originally named, was a product of the eternal battle between Selune and Shar at the dawn of the realms.

She has suffered one great calamity when the Netherese mage Karsus attempted to strip her divinity and take it for himself. That single act of foolishness not only destroyed the Netherese kingdom, whose floating cities crashed to the ground because the human mage could not fully control the entirity of the Weave, but also resulted in Mystra's sacrifice to ensure that the very fabric of the Weave did not tear the realms asunder.

The result of this calamity was the reincarnation of the goddess in the guise of a beatiful young girl, brilliantly adept at magic, who ascended to resume control of the Weave. This new goddess, Mystra as we now call her, put controls on the use of magic, limiting its power and expanse. Never again was a spell as powerful as that of Karsus to be cast, and those who sought the use of magic must strain their minds to retain and recall the spells they so dilligently study. Extensive experience or a simply brilliant mind might allow a magic-user to be able to memorize more spells than those less adept in the Art, but even such skilled persons must strain to memorize even the most powerful of spells.

It is in light of her intrinsic power that her followers be tempered with a sense of humility and wisdom in their practice of the Art. That will be the single focus of this work, which may well expand into more than this volume. With this goal in mind, let us first hear the depths of our most majestic Lady of Mysteries' Dogma, before we progress in later chapters to a fuller understanding of its meaning and application.

The Mystran Dogma

"Love magic for itself, not just as a ready weapon to shape the realms to your own will. Learn when not to use your magic, and you will have learnt true wisdom. Play with magic and learn how to best wield it, but not when the price is paid by others. Strive to use magic less and less as your powers develop, not more and more; often the threat or promise of the Art outstrips its performance."

"Remember always that magic is Art, a gift of the Lady, and that those who can wield it are priviledged in the extreme. Conduct yourself humbly, not proudly, while being mindful of this."

"Use magic deftly and efficiently; eschew carelessness and recklessness in the unleashing of the Art. When magic imperils you, hide it or hurl it away into other planes rather than destroy it, for any destruction of the Art is a sin."

"Seek always both to learn new magic and create new magic, but experimenting to learn to craft something oneself is better than merely buying scrolls or hiring tutors. Exult more in creation than in hurling spells, and ensure that your creations are shared and so outlive you. Those who succeed in this last thing and in maturing into true wisdom and consideration for the greater balance of things in Faerun in the use of the Art are most favoured in the eyes of the Lady and will serve her beyond death as beings who have become one with magic and live on it forever."

Chapter 1: Love and Wisdom

Love must, first and foremost, be the central motivation for one's desire to seek after both Mystra and her Weave. It is unfortunate that the annals of history are replete with examples of those who have sought the powers of magic only to further their own ends. In this regard, magic has become a means for the purposes of the spellcaster's own will, whether those purposes be good or ill. Once they have accomplished those purposes there is no acknowledgement of her who gave the Gift.

Those who would advance in their study of magic while also endeavouring to maintain the good graces of the Lady of Mysteries must be ever mindful of this subtle temptation. It comes upon us in many forms, not always apparent at first, but the final manifestation of lust for the power the Weave offers rather than a blissful delight in the majesty of our blessed Mother and her Gift.

Some simple examples may serve well to illustrate this point. There are certain groups of itinerant spellcasters who use their magic to befuddle and confuse the simple so that they may be exploited to the fullest extent. One bard was known to have employed a magically enchanted instrument on impressionable young women so as to satisfy his insatiable lust for their intimate company. In his wake he left broken hearts and broken homes, not to mention a score of illegitimate and fatherless children as he moved on to the next town or villiage to ply his trade over and again. Such towns are now loathe to accept other performers who may use their magic for the sake of entertainment and joy.

There are other accounts of wizards so enveloped in their lust for power that after decades of research they finally think themselves able to control and bargain with otherworldly forces. After summoning a fiend or demon to do their bidding for some or other reason, they quickly find themselves trapped by the natural wit and intelligence of those they thought to enslave to their will and instead find themselves enslaved at best, devoured at worst. Such evil outsiders are known to relish an excursion in the Prime and cause as much havoc as possible before they are returned to their native planes by show of force or magical banishment.

Hence, those who would find the most joy in the Art must temper their love of magic with wisdom. Use of magic should never come at the expense of the innocent or defenseless. One must carefully think through dealings with magically summoned entities, whether good or ill. Most of all, the wisest spellcasters will reserve their magic for the most dire of situations, and even then use only as much as is necessary. This is true wisdom, and the attitude that Mystra most seeks of those who would follow her teachings.

Chapter 2: Gift and Priviledge

In our last chapter we discussed first and foremost that love must ever guide those who would seek Mystra's favour. We ought to love magic for itself, rather than as a tool for our own use. In this chapter we will discuss the blessing of the Gift itself, and the priviledge of those enabled to make use of it.

One of the most significant aspects of magic is how it seems to permeate almost all of our existance, even if we do not sense its presence. Mystra's Weave extends across the planes as well, which is why magic can be used to channel energy from different planes into the prime in order to produce a desired effect. Because of this, the Gift is not withheld from any race capable of a mind attuned to utilising it.

The oldest races have used magic from the dawn of the ages. This ought to temper our pride in the present. We are not the first to use it, neither shall we be the last. As long as Mystra and her Weave remain, so shall there be those gifted with its use. I admit, not all so chosen will follow Mystra's desired path. But this is no excuse to us who know a better way, who have been given a deeper understanding of our Blessed Lady of Mysteries.

Pride in magic has lead to the downfall of more than one kingdom in the annals of the ages. We have already seen how Karsus' folly precipitated the destruction of the Netherese empire, an empire crafted out of the use of magic. Indeed, some might argue that Netherese insight into the nature of magic have provided the foundation and impetus of everything known about the greatest Mystery of all.

We must be ever vigilant and mindful of this wonderful Gift and priviledge. In the same way that we ought to love magic in and of itself, so we ought to behave when using it. Magic is to be a joy, a delight to the servants of Mystra. It should create a mind of wonder, of spectacle, of mystery. There will never be an end to the possibilities that magic can unlock. Let us not arrogantly assume the mistakes of the past will never befall us too.

In our next volume we will consider the practical aspects of handling magic day to day, including responsible spellcasting, magical research, and the creation of new magic.

Introduction

The first volume of this work enlightened us to some of the history and background of the Mystran faith. We learnt that love, wisdom and temperance must prevail first and foremost in the minds of those who would adore the Lady of Mysteries and serve her with their minds and hearts.

With this foundation stone laid, it is time to move on to other practicalities of the Mystran faith. This volume will help us to understand how we are to put our knowledge of the Art into effect, or, in other words, how we may best play with magic and forge magical creations that will survive us beyond our mortal lives. This is, afterall, a far more lasting legacy than simply being known as a spellhurler, no matter how skilled or spectacular.

Chapter 1: Deft and Efficient Magic

Exposure to magic is one of the most brilliant thrills of spellcraft. The sensual feeling of the Weave surging through one's body as the correct vocalisations and movements of the hand come to their completion are wondrous to both behold and experience. Even the least cantrip conjures that shrill sensation that is the manipulation of Mystra's Weave. Magic is, in its most elemental form, a thoroughly enjoyable practice.

It is with great care and trepidation that we ought to practice our spellcraft. In our first volume we covered in a broad brushstroke the foolishness of Karsus in the development of his spell "Karsus' Avatar." Karsus did almost everything right: he spent an age in careful research and collecting obscure lore. He consulted his colleagues and gathered what requisite components there were. But Karsus lacked what Mystra would call us to have the most of: wisdom. Wisdom to look past our research and quest for new magic so as to fully grasp all the possible implications of what we are proposing to accomplish.

Karsus, as we well know, was careless and thoughtless about the implications of his mighty magic. Had he chosen a different deity as the target for his spell, magic as we know it now may well have been far different. But by choosing the Mother of All Magic Karsus was only ever doomed to folly. The power to control all magic across all the realms at all times does not and should not rest in the hands of a mortal man, no matter how distinguished or accomplished in his knowledge of arcana. Karsus serves as the ultimate example of what Mystra does not seek: reckless and careless experimentation with magic.

It is imperative, therefore, that worshippers of Mystra and practitioners of the Art should temper their magical pursuits with due care and dilligence. We need to think through carefully the possible implications of our research should it become widely known. I admit that there are a good many spells which remain undiscovered to this day because they perished with their makers, hidden away in their secret libraries and laboratories whose locations have long been forgotten or abandoned. Had Karsus known that his attempt to claim Mystra's place in the divine assembly would destroy almost the entire Netherese kingdom, he would not have done as he did. We too must be mindful of the potential wide-ranging consequences of our spellcasting and research.

Some further examples may well serve to reinforce this point. Responsible spellcraft ought to respect the natural order of the realms. There is no greater horror, both for a spellcaster and for the general populace of Faerun, than to come under assault of some or other creature which has been turned into a warped abomination because of a magical experiment gone wrong, or else a failed attempt to make a deal with some kind of called planar creature.

My people, the elves, know all too well what an army of evil planar beings can wreak here in the Material plane. Such befell Myth Drannor of old, the aptly named Weeping War. While the perpetrators of this travesty still remain unknown to this day, there is no other way that the Trio Nefarious made their way onto the Prime Material plane without being called here in a magical summoning. Once they had broken free of their original calling (as all called demons or devils are wont to do), they cajoled around themselves the largest standing army ever to march upon Faerun.

The old records estimate a force some 60,000 strong, including yugoloth demon mercenaries, ogres, gnolls, goblinoids and even giants. The most majestic city in the Realms perished under their brute force. Thousands were horribly tortured and eaten at their hands, and all this because a spellcaster did not think about the severe consequences of upsetting the natural order of the realms for the sake of magical experimentation and summoning. Necromancers would do well to take heed of this, and use their magics for purposes other than assembling the dead to unlife.

When our Lady of Mysteries calls her adherents to follow a path of deft and efficient magic usage, we must ever keep in mind such tales of the past. Let us use only as much magic as is necessary. Unnecessary shock and awe have no place in the repertoir of one who seeks Mystra's favour.

Lastly, should a situation arise that magic or a magical artifact presents an immediate threat to you, it must not be destroyed. Destruction of the Art is a heinous sin and will invoke the immediate displeasure of the Mother of All Magic. While such an act is seldom seen or heard, it is most pertinent to artifacts which have a habit of being uncovered from time to time in the hands of adventurers and may, in fact, have a sentience of their own. Should such a magical artifact be destroyed, be prepared to answer for it. The destruction or disjoining of such powerful magic does not go unnoticed, not just by the Lady but by whatever other deities may have had an interest in them, whatever it may be. Far better it is to have perilous magic hidden away in the recesses of the earth, or else hurled away into the Astral Sea or another plane, never to be found again.

Chapter 2: The Highest Art - Creation

The last and highest Art, for which purpose these Dogmatics aim to educate, is that of acts of magical creation. Some of this we have already uncovered in the preceding chapter. We are fortunate in the fact that there is an endless limit in the possibilities of the Weave. Some of those possibilities, as we have seen, result in dire consequences when they become reality. That is why it is all the more imperative to the followers of Mystra that we engage in our research carefully and thoughtfully. We must always consider whether the new spells or items we are working on, if they fell in the wrong hands, would cause untold harm in the realms, both to ourselves, our loved ones and our communities and lands.

Magical creation, though, is far preferrable to mere spellhurling. As I covered briefly in the first volume, Karsus' folly resulted in significant caps on the power and usage of magic. Some spells are so strenuous on the caster that their effects will fade after not more than a few minutes. Take, for example, a Spell Mantle. It is an effective and powerful abjuration to protect oneself from hostile magical effects. But maintaining such a spell is arduous, even with metamagic applied it will not last more than a few minutes. Far better would be the same effect hidden in the power of a magical ring, waiting only for the command word for it to be unleashed. That way others may benefit from the magic as well.

Such creation has its obvious strains. It is a long and tiresome process searching for arcane lore relevant to our fields of study. Some material components can be rare and require extra-special care and preparation (for example, Djinn blossoms or Aelfengrape). Even spells to complete or perfect our magical creations can be hard to come by. It may seem easier to merely buy a scroll of the relevant magic, but far better it is to learn the spell for oneself even if it requires years of practice to perform the correct incantation or somatic gesture.

However, there is great reward for dilligence in the Art, especially magical creation. It is our goal as worshippers of the Lady of Mysteries to see that her mysteries persist into the ages that will follow our own. Dweomerheart remains the final destination for us who freely choose to answer this call.

We have as our first example Azuth, that brilliant mage who exulted in the beauty of magical creation. Mystra blessed him as the first Magister, and afterwards as a power in his own right in her own realm. Second to him is Savras, another brilliant arcanist and diviner who exemplified what it means to follow Mystra's Dogma. He too was exalted to Mystra's eternal service. Indeed, this too is our ultimate goal as devoutees of the Mother of All Magic, that we too may serve her beyond our mortal lives, becoming one forever with the magic we love and delight in.

Conclusion

We have travelled quite the journey together now as we explored the Dogma of the Lady of Mysteries. I have endeavoured to explain and expound the teachings of the Mother of All Magic so that magic in the Realms may be held in high honour and esteemed by the less priviledged.

Let us pursue our love for magic, in and of itself, as the marvelous, majestic and mysterious gift of the Lady of Mysteries. Let us practice out spellcraft responsibly, as representatives of our Lady. Let us value the balance of the Realms by refusing to use magic in a way that upsets the natural order. Let us employ wisdom to think through the implications of our use of magic. And most of all, let us create, explore and enjoy this most blessed of gifts in such a manner that our posterity will enjoy it too.

Introduction

What do you think of when you hear the word 'magic'? Does an image of some itinerant circus illusionist come to your mind? Perhaps you think of your town's local hedge wizard or clergyman, a mysterious figure surrounded with an aura of mystery and power.

Others have probably had more negative memories regarding magic. One thinks here of a deceitful potion numbing the inhibitions of a desired lover, or the calamitous power of a war wizard annihilating an entire army with only a handful of immensely powerful spells. Others may recall stories of ages ago, of empires which were based on magic only to come crashing down when that magic failed.

There is no question more discernably poignant than the place of magic in the Realms. On the one hand it is a mysterious, beautiful thing, capable of much good. It has created magical items which have defended kingdoms and slain dragons and repelled the forces of darkness throughout the ages.

On the other hand, though, it is a tool of potent destruction. Entire nations have been laid to waste by the use, or even misuse, of magic. Foul monsters are conjured to our world through magic, monsters far worse than those imagined in the darkest nightmares, whose presence alone causes light to tremble and fail.

The Morality of Magic

Where, then, is the morality of magic? Where do its lines blur from clear evil and unassailable good? Why does the Mother of All Magic, Mystra, even allow magic to be used for such detrimental purposes? Does she have no value for life? For justice?

It is questions such as these that I hope to answer in this book. Morality is a difficult subject at the best of times, but such difficult questions ought not be avoided: they strike at the very heart of our being, searching us, testing us and forming our perceptions of reality.

Of course, all such forays into morality are tempered with perspective. I make no qualms in announcing that this work seeks to find answers to the moral place of magic according to espoused Mystran ideals. Some of these ideas will no doubt find sour criticism. Others will resound with wholehearted approval. For this I make no apology, instead committing myself to faithfully representing my goddess even where they grind against my own conscience.

With this in mind, let us now consider what moral place magic has in the world in which we live. This work will approach this question from three major angles. The first is the historical origin of magic. This will prove to be important ground work, for it is not until we understand the history surrounding magic's beginnings that we can comprehend the place it now occupies in our world, the second angle I will use to analyse this topic. Lastly, we will think of magic's ethical place in Faerun's future.

The Nature of Magic Past

The true origin of magic is shrouded in a fair degree of mystery. Historians of this topic know that it is ancient, almost as old as the world, but they surmise there was a time when magic was not. There is one story passed down by the clerics of Selune that the first goddess of magic, Mystryl, was the unintentional byproduct of the eternal feuding between Selune and Shar. Mystryl was, on this account, the combination of the powers of light and dark and the balancing force between the two ancient sisters. Because of this, magic remains ever a force for the cosmic balance, being utilised to produce good and evil, promoting order and descending into chaos.

It was this accidental beginning which also formed what arcanists now call the Weave. The Weave is the complex 'fabric', for lack of a better analogy, of raw magic which is invisibly woven throughout the entirety of reality. Spellcasting is the particular act of drawing together the permeating strands of the Weave at a particular time and place, resulting in a particular effect depending on the somatic, verbal and, if necessary, material or focal components used in the act of spellcasting.

However, just as the weaving together of a carpet or garment may go awry by an inexperienced seamstress or tailor, so too can the fabric of the magical Weave be drawn together in such a fashion as to cause mistakes in its permeation of reality, resulting in undesired effects.

Moreover, deliberately reckless spellcasting can permanently damage or tear the fabric of the magical Weave, a fact we know from the event in -339 DR we now remember as Karsus' Folly. It is not precisely known what manner of spell Karsus created to provoke the direct intervention of Mystryl, but whatever it was resulted in a complete catastrophe for all involved.

Mystryl, the goddess of magic at that time, perished in her attempt to prevent the collapse of the Weave as a result of Karsus' spell. What was not evident until then was the fact that the goddess of magic is personally embodied in the magical Weave. With her death, the Weave collapsed anyway, resulting in the entire failure of all arcane magic across the Realms. The ancient Netherese Empire crumbled as their magically animated flying cities crashed to the ground.

These things reveal to us a few key factors in formulating an ethical basis from the history of magic. Magic, at its core, envelopes the spheres of good, evil, law, chaos and everything in between. It is an eternal balancing act to keep all of these in their proper place.

Secondly, the magical Weave is a means by which all things in the realms are connected to one another. History has already shown us what happens when this connectedness is broken. Catastrophe results where the fabric of the Weave is severely damaged, or when the Mother of all magic is disabled or slain.

A firm conscience would dictate that the pratice of magic ought to be partaken with care, dilligence and responsibility, lest a similar fate, or worse, be visited upon the perpetrators of a future mishap. The fate of all the Realms as we know it depends on a properly functioning magical Weave.

The Nature of Magic Present

In the days of ancient Netheril magic was far freer than it is now. There was no limit to the power or extent that magic could be utilised, which is why there were flying citadels in the skies at that time and there are not now. After the death of Mystryl a new goddess of magic formed from the embers of what remained of the Weave and began the long work of repairing the damage caused to the Weave by Karsus' Folly.

Mystra, the Lady of Mysteries, was this new deity and the new guardian of the Weave. Her first edict is known amongst scholarly circles as Mystra's Ban. Never again would a crisis of Karsus' magnitude be repeated because of a single, immensely powerful spell. All magic henceforth can no longer reach the level of power that the ancient Netherese had at their fingertips.

However, facts such as these have so far done little to assuage the moral conundrum of why Mystra yet permits all manner of magical research and practice in our current time. Stories about of vile creatures being summoned to our world from without and ravaging destruction upon it. Other stories speak of unnatural horrors being created from the dead, foul necromantic magics imprisoning the souls of the living and recently passed so that they may carry out their creator's wicked schemes.

I sincerely admit this is the most potent theodicy that can be raised against the ethical nature of magic in our day. Not only does Mystra not intervene in such cases, she more than likely will not. This is a horrid statement no doubt, so further explanation is necessary.

We must remember at all times that magic, at its very core, is a balancing act between the forces of light and darkness. Mystra's guardianship of the Weave goes so far as to maintain its integrity so that a greater global calamity than that of Karsus' Folly does not befall our world. Therefore, Mystra herself will not intervene in the use or abuse of magic insofar as it does not conflict with this, her primary purpose.

Having said that, I must add that it is the duty of her faithful to watch over the smaller matters of magic. It is the duty of her Church to seek out those adept in magic and encourage them to pursue it in a manner befitting the Lady of Mysteries. Moreover, her clergy endeavour to discover and intervene in plots or plans which utilise magic for ill purposes, especially the conjuring of creatures not native to our world.

The Nature of Magic Future

Some would suggest that a world without magic would in fact be an ideal one, for at last the imbalance and injustice it brings in our lives will be nullified. But such a statement ignores a glaring implication: a world thus devoid of the supposed injustice of magic would instead see the rekindling of the ancient fight between the primeval forces of Selune and Shar, a fight which was quelled somewhat when the goddess of magic and the Weave were born.

Secondly, the fact that Mystra permits a great variety of approaches to magic means that its power will never be wholly consolidated into the hands of a single elite ruling group. The constant progress and development of new kinds of magic means there will always be the potential to usurp those who disregard magic's inherent responsibility and seek it for its power alone.

Moreover, Mystra's role as guardian of the magical Weave and of magic leaves ample room for the servants of justice, as well as Mystra's Knights of the Mystic Fire Order, to apply their own wisdom to punish miscreants of magic howsoever they deem fit, remembering, however, that magic is as equally a force of good as it is a force of evil.

Preface

This series was first delivered by lecture to my students in En Dharasha Everae, and as such its flow of thought and general focus rests upon the history of Magic as it pertains to the Elvish mind.

This common translation exists simply by way of utility: I felt it important that all students of magic on the Sword Coast ought to have an introductory work regarding the origin and history of magic in the Realms. I make no apology for retaining the Elvish focus of this work, for it is to my people that I am indebted for their graces and comfort during my time of need, time which spawned the opportunity to research and prepare this work.

Nevertheless, every student of the arcane will find useful gleanings to apply from magic's turbulent and influential history upon the Realms.

Introduction

We, the People, have been given many gifts by the glorious Seldarine. Long have they instructed us in right wisdom and counsel, keeping their watchful eyes over our race from time immemorial. Through the guidance of our gods the Tel'Quessir acquired the secrets of the Arcane Art long before the human race were gifted with it, and consequently our People have long been the wardens of the deepest mysteries of the Art.

The path by which magic has travelled to become what it is today is a winding, perilous road indeed. We stand on the shoulders of those who have laboured intensely before us, and in fact many such labours still remain secreted away, untapped and unacknowledged, yearning for rediscovery by the keen of mind.

An understanding of the history of magic will serve to accomplish three significant things for the student of the arcane. Firstly, acquiring a knowledge of magic past will assist the student's appreciation of their standing in the Art. Just as the history of our own People is important to our culture, our identity, so too must the history of magic be to the student of magic. History lets us see the mistakes of our forebears, and revel in their greatest accomplishments. The wide-angled view offered to us by the pages of history lets us understand that magic is as equally a force of benevolence as it is a force of malefaction.

Secondly, comprehending where magic has come from is of great benefit in helping the student know where it is going. Magic is, afterall, a fluid, unfathomable mystery whose depths can never be entirely plumbed. There will always be more progress to be made in magical research, more spells to be created, newer methods by which items can be imbued wiith magical power. It is you, the student of magic, who will carry the responsibility of driving magic's future forward.

Lastly, an overview of the significant events in the history of magic and magical practice will serve to teach the aspiring student the qualities most befitting those who will spend the remainder of their lives attempting to unlock the secrets of the Magic Weave. Many magical disasters may have been averted if only the practitioners had been far more mindful of the immense responsibility placed upon their shoulders when they took up the mantle as an arcanist.

It is my sincere hope that these lectures instill a sense of awe and responsibility in each reader, and that the knowledge contained here continue to help illumine the future path that magic has yet to tread.

Lecture One: The Creation of Magic

Scholarship regarding the origin of all things would be speculative at best if it were not for the intervention of the gods who bear witness to the truth of our world's beginnings. It is the divine voice that first sheds light upon Magic's origin and therefore we first seek our answers from the ancient Church of Selune.

Their sages and clergy tell us that magic, indeed the first incarnation of the goddess of magic, Mystryl, came into being as an unintended consequence of the ancient feuding between the Queen of the Light, Selune, and her dark sister Shar. Mystryl was born of the essences of both deities, neither darkness nor light, yet encompassing the powers of both.

While Mystryl's birth brought about a temporary truce in the goddesses' feuding it would not last forever, and the incessant fighting eventually brought about the creation of many of the other deities and the first forms of mortal life.

The Creator Races.

These first life forms are known to us as the iqua'tel'quessir, the Creator Races. These are the beings who ruled over Toril long before our people ever set foot, although it may be said that while the human race is also named amongst the Creator Races, they did not gain ascendancy until a good deal of time after the decline of the Elven kingdoms during the First Flowering, a period we shall discuss in the next volume.

In those days, known as the Days of Thunder, magic, apart from that which was bestowed directly by the gods, was more or less unknown until the ascension of a race of lizard-like saurian beings known as the Sarrukh. It was the Sarrukh who were first recorded as having gained access to the secrets of the Magic Weave, although much of their record remains unknown to us today besides their most important legacy, the invaluable accumulation of the magical lore of their time into a single work known now as the Nether Scrolls. Of this we shall learn more details when we come to the Rise and Fall of the Empire of Netheril.

These early developments in magical comprehension did not come without its own travesties, however. Scholars are led to believe that the Sarrukh empires fell, partly due to societal implosion as their enslaved workers revolted, and partly due to magic's first significant enemy, that dreadful race of beings known as the Phaerimm.

The Phaerimm, a race of highly intelligent but ostensibly foul beasts which resemble somewhat of a cross between a worm and marsh fly-trap plant, were known to feed from the very essence of magic. It is supposed that the increase in the use of arcane magic during the time of the Sarrukh empire was one of the factors which led to the war between the two ancient races and the eventual demise of the Sarrukh.

The Dawning of the Dragons

The origin of the highly magical and ancient race of the Dragonkin is still steeped in mystery to this day. One legend tells the story of The Tearfall, an immense meteor that struck the surface of Toril, creating the Sea of Fallen Stars, a few millenia after the disappearance of the Sarrukh and the other creator races except for the humans. It is debated in scholarly circles whether this impact altered Toril's climate to the point that dragonkin developed from some ancenstral lifeform, or whether the meteors themselves were in fact dragon eggs.

Another source known as the Book of the World describes events from the perspective of the dragons themselves. This ancient mythic tome speaks of the dragon gods Asgorath and Zotha descending upon this world and conquering it, and another dragon god named Renegade being responsible for creating the first of the metallic, good dragons. Curiously, the scholars in Candlekeep have said that the name Renegade in the ancient Thorass text in which the Book of the World is written is the word bahmat, a rather striking resemblance to the good god of the Dragons known today, Bahamut.

Whatever their true origin, was is certain is that the dragonkin possessed a command over magic which is still difficult to match to this day. Something in their very being is attuned to the natural ebb and flow of the Magic Weave and on that basis it is no surprise that their progeny, spawned while in their polymorphed, humanoid forms, possess a similar innate sense of the essence of magic. For this reason a great many sorcerers in our time will find their lineage converging with a draconic mother or father at some point in their ancestry.

The Dragon kingdoms where not wholly unopposed, however. It was during their epoch that the giants founded their kingdom across the north of Faerun and the two races came into inevitable conflict. These conflicts were exacerbated by the arrival of the first elvish and dwarven kingdoms which also began to develop around that time.

The dwarves formed their homes in the craggy mountains of the north and as a result came into conflict with their giantkin neighbours. Perseverence and tenacity, typical of their kind, saw significant advances of the dwarfkin into giant territory.

Similarly, the Green elves are first thought to have emmigrated from the realm of the Faerie around the same time as the emergence of the first dwarven empires. Progress in their societal development was slow up until a second influx of refugees from the Faerie, this time the ancestors of the Gold and Moon elves. It was said that they fled an immense magical catastrophe in the city of Tintageer, of the Faerie Realm. A powerful ritual had gone awry and resulted in immense flooding of the city; the survivors managed to slip through a surviving portal into the Prime and landed upon Faerun.

This event brought another new impetus of magical understanding to Toril. The High Elvish ancestors from the Faerie possessed an immense understanding of magical theory that was honed down the centuries to become what we now call ar'tel'quess, the High Art of our People, High Magic. The development of this potent form of the Arcane Art meant that the dragon rulers of the time began to lose battles against the elves they otherwise would have won. With the demise of the dragon and giant empires, a new kingdom would arise to dominate the shores of Faerun, and it is to that tale we next turn.

Lecture Two: The First Flowering

In the previous work we concluded our study of the history of magic with the downfall of the Dragon and Giant empires and with them the consequent rise of the Elves and the Dwarves. One may notice the rather repetitive thread of Faerun's history: when one race gains ascendency, another soon arises to take their place.

What has been less clear, I suspect, is the actual role of magic in the development of these empires. I have touched briefly upon the Sarrukh, and of the dragons there is considerably more to say, if one has the time and the patience to scour through the ancient dwarven annals or manage to gain access to a giantkin historical codex or library. Of course, the dragons themselves still dwell with us today, and they all still possess the same innate magical aptitude of their forebears in bygone epochs. The difficulty now is finding one in their reclusivity, let alone a friendly one that is willing to discuss the history and capabilities of their race.

With the demise of the dragon empires, but not the dragons themselves, it was the tel'quessir who assumed the mantle of leadership upon Faerun. There is much to say about our own ancestors, from our origins in they Feywild to our natural affinity with magic. That affinity, our scholars argue, comes primarily from our ancestry from the Faerie: it is reported to be a wholly magical place, far more attuned to the existence of the magical Weave than here on the Prime Material plane.

Many of its denizens, the slyphs, sprites (pixies, grigs, nixies), dryads, nymphs and centaurs are finely attuned with magic, not to mention their delight of the natural realm. That elves share in these affinities gives good creedence to our similar origin, and with our extended lifespans we are hardly limited by time to perfect our understanding of magic, with ar'tel'quess being the result.

The Age of High Magic

High Magic is, of course, an exclusive and highly sensitive field of study and even I myself are unaware of its deepest details. I was reliably told during my time in the Academy of Taltempla that a High Mage must be no less than three hundred years of age to even put their name forward for an application, let alone admittance, to become an apprentice of High Arcana. Nevertheless, the tales of High Magic enthrall the mind and heart, yet also give us opportunity to pause and reflect on several of its negatives.

Of course, a foray into High Magic would be inadequate without relating it to the nature of magic that then was, a topic we shall visit again when we cover the rise and fall of Netheril. The goddess of magic, Mystryl, placed no barriers on the heights that magic could reach. Elven High Mages were known to dwell with magic of the tenth and even eleventh circles and used such magic to create powerful magical wards, illusions, and transmutations of the lands in which they lived to guard them from their enemies.

The Sundering

The greatest of these known to our annals resulted in the majestic event and dream for all of Elven civilisation: the creation of our own homeland, Evermeet. Our scholars and historians record the ritual in great detail in the Elvish Annals, of which I shall only relate the essentials.

It was said that the ceremony was some four hundred years in preparation as the High Magi and High priests and priestesses of the Seldarine collaborated about the process, components and location of the immense ritual. A location was chosen in the heart of continental Faerun and an immense, white granite tower with an interior encircling staircase was built. Upon each stair a stone seat was carved against the wall and the name of the High Mage who would cast engraved upon it.

When preparations were drawing to a close, the chosen High Mages were called from every part of Faerun. At the centre of the ritual was the Seldarine's chosen vessel, the wild-elf High Mage named Starleaf. At her direction the magical song commenced, chanted by each one of the participants while the magical energy was shaped by Starleaf, concentrating the combined will of the High Mages to create the Elven Promised Land.

The sheer force of magic unleashed that day beggars comprehension. Let it be known that the magic was not cast without cost. Every single one of the High Mages who participated in the ritual, except Starleaf, had their very souls ripped from their bodies to fuel the power of the magic.

Furthermore, doubts about the ritual by several dissenting High Mages of the time proved to be well founded. They argued that their ancestors of the Faerie were forced to flee terrible devastation caused by a mighty High Magic ritual used in the city of Tintageer. Their voices of protest were drowned by the majority, mostly Gold elves, who wished to create the promised land whatever the cost.

Once the ritual was complete, Evermeet emerged from the depths of the ocean and the western coast of Faerun was ravaged with earthquakes and immense, destructive waves. Hundreds of Elvish settlements perished, including the old Ilythiiri capital of Atorrnash, killing thousands of dark elves, humans and other races which lived along the coastline that suddenly plunged beneath the roaring sea. For this reason many of the scholars of our time call the event The Sundering, the time when continental Faerun splintered and changed for the second time in history.

The Dark Disaster

The second event of note during the kingdom of the elves was an unknown magical mishap which occurred in the midst of the Crown Wars. This sorry and shameful part of our history saw much bloodshed amongst our kind as the kingdom of Aryvandaar pushed south into the realm of Miyeritar for the sake of land and title.

At that time, the kingdom of Miyeritar was two important things. Firstly, it was one of the two dark elf kingdoms, along with the Ilythiiri kingdom, before the curse of the Seldarine was laid upon them for their gross transgressions against the Elven race. Secondly, Miyeritar had actually become the central seat for all Elven High Magic.

Miyeritar as a kingdom was much like Silverymoon of our own time. All goodly beings were welcome there to progress magical advancement in peace, and their secrets were shared for the betterment of all. Even dwarves and humans found their niche amongst the then-tolerant Miyeritari green and dark elves.

All this ended when the elves of the kingdom of Aryvandaar supposed that the then Coronal of Miyeritar, Menzonberra Melarn, was a mere puppet installment to the Miyeritari throne. Coronal Ivoshaar Vyshann of Aryvandaar cited a complicated geneological claim to the Miyeritari throne in an attempt to take the kingdom politically. When his demands were not met by the Miyeritari ruling council, Aryvandaar declared war upon Miyeritar and invaded their northern border.

The resulting warfare waged for the following seven millenia and caused widespread destruction. Vyshann military strategy was brutal and precise, aided by the secret pacts made between the Vyshann High Magi and demonic beings who helped them devise wickedly efficient spells for wiping out entire armies and cities.

Horrified by the Vyshann aggression, Miyeritar allied with the dark elves of Ilythiir and commenced retributive guerilla raids using demonic forces as shock troops. The Ilythiir were particularly brutal, razing entire elven settlements and their surrounding forests to ashes in their attempt to resist Vyshann advancement. In the end, the forces of Aryvandaar proved an insurmountable obstacle to the Miyeritari and their Ilythiiri allies and Miyeritar fell to the aggressors, and with it its immense storehouses of magical lore and arcana.

This, however, is not the end of the story for Miyeritar. After being subdued for some centuries by the Vyshann Coronals the Miyeritari eventually openly revolted. The result of this rebellion was the targeted assassinations of Miyeritar's High Magi. In fear for their lives, many of the magi who survived the assassinations fled elsewhere. With little to no magical defenses left, the entire kingdom of Miyeritar became enveloped in an immense killing storm that stripped all life bare. Every tree perished, and within three months the whole kingdom of Miyeritar became a haunted wasteland now known as the High Moors.

The perilous distruction wrought by magic of the period ought to give the student of magic good pause. It is one thing to use magic defensively or offensively to win a battle or a war. But in their lust for power and success, our ancestors lost sight of mercy and peace. In their desire to gain a kingdom, a race was split forever.

In the wake of Miyeritar's destruction, their allies in the kingdom of the Ilythiiri, which had for a long time been suspected of cavorting with evil deities, began to do so publically and unashamedly. Demonic armies swarmed over Vyshan defensive positions and slaughtered them. The Seldarine had had enough. Ilythiiri high magic was blamed for Miyeritar's destruction and they were forever cursed from the light of the sun. On that day they became the dhaerow, the traitors, as it is to this day, forever hostile to us as we are hostile to them.

All these things leave many burning questions in the hearts of today's magical adept. Why did Mystryl simply stand by and let all these things happen with her magic Weave? Do the ends always justify the means, as in the case of The Sundering? It is questions such as these that we shall look into in our next lecture on the Rise and Fall of the Netherese Empire.

Lecture Three: The Rise and Fall of Netheril

We left our last lecture with some poignant questions in our minds about the morality of magical usage. It is always a good thing for the student of magic to reflect carefully and thoughtfully on the practices of those before us, and the topic in this volume is an extremely important reminder of that very point.

There is no nation whose history is so widely documented for all to see than that of the ancient Kingdom of Netheril, and for good reason. Never before in history had magic reached the heights attained by the Netherese Archmagi, and never before did magic sink to such a low as it did in the aftermath of Karsus' infamous Folly.

However, the beginnings of the Netherese empire are far more humble than the lofty grandeur from which they came hurtling down. The original human settlements of the then-lush valleys and plainlands, filled with flowing rivers and abundant fresh-water lakes, were hunters and herders. These villages were loosely affiliated until the coming of Nether the Elder, a charismatic Shaman-king of the village of Gers. It was he who orchestrated the treaty of Seventon, the event which fortified the alliance of seven Netherese villages and commenced the reckoning of the Nether Years calendar, or -3859 in Dalereckoning. The alliance proved most beneficial to the seven villages and together they began to clear away localized threats such as local orc populations.

As the fledgeling nation of Netheril expanded its borders and began to claim more land they quickly fell under the watchful gaze of the nearby Eaerlanni elves. After 15 years of silent observation, the Eaerlanni elves approached the Netherese with a promise to teach them the secrets of Mystryl's magic Weave. Coronal Daenthiara's argument was that the human nation would sooner or later uncover the secrets of the Weave and, if left entirely untutored in its responsible and mature use, they would likely follow in the footsteps of the Sarrukh and the Elves of the Crown Wars by bringing untold disaster to Faerun.

The Eaerlanni mages underestimated the human capability for magic and magical theory blossomed immediately amongst the Netherese. It would only be a manner of centuries before even the lowest echelons of Netherese society would be capable of casting cantrips to aid their daily, mundane tasks. Netherese arcanists quickly proved their deft talents in the Art and they became the default middle class, only just behind the Netherese nobility in terms of societal rank.

The Nether Scrolls

In -3533 DR fortune smiled upon a Netherese expedition to the Far Horns Forest where an unknown arcanist, now known only as The Finder, came across some of the ancient ruins of the Aryvandaar empire. Inside, the most significant discovery in the history of human civilisation was uncovered: The Nether Scrolls.

These priceless artifacts were sheets of pure gold, fifty in number, upon which the consolidated arcane lore of the ancient Sarrukh had been recorded. While not magical in and of themselves, it is said that one could study a single scroll and never exhaust its supply of arcane knowledge. Our own scholars noted that the High Magi of Aryvandaar refused to tap into the knowledge contained in them, fearing the power that they could unleash upon the realms.

Over the following centuries, the Netherese arcanists began to turn away from their Eaerlanni tutors of magic and began to rely wholly on the knowledge they gleaned from the Nether Scrolls. Within five centuries of their discovery we begin to hear the emergence of some of the most significant names in the magic Art emerging: Congenio Ioun, creator of the famed ioun stones that bear his name, and of course the almighty Ioulaum, Netheril's greatest hero.

Netheril's Golden Age

The name Ioulaum is synonymous with what was perhaps magic's greatest invention: the mythallar. These immense spheres of magic became the powerhouses of Netherese spellcraft. First developed by the Archmage in -3014, by -3011 Ioulaum had the first quasi-magical items being powered by the mythallar he had made. Such items only needed to rest within a mile of a mythallar in order to retain their magical properties; outside of this radius they were inert and non-functional.

By -2993, with the assistance of another archmage named Proctiv, Ioulaum had created the first Netherese floating city. Powered by the mythallar, Ioulaum used Proctiv's Move Mountain spell to slice the top off a mountain, invert it and then cause it to hover above the ground. The idea of an unassailable flying fortress quickly caught on and by -2200 there were several dozen of these flying cities sailing the air currents in the northern regions of Faerun, with one new one being launched almost every year.

However, despite Netheril's impressive contributions to the study of magic their departure from their Elven tutelage began to show as their haughty arrogance in their own capabilities increased. The Netherese warred with the dwarves as their borders encroached closer and closer to the lands their subterranean neighbours. Gnomish settlements were raided and captured as slaves. Elvish emancipation efforts put pressure on the Netherese and all their gnome slaves were eventually freed in -2387, whereupon they used the old Aryvandaar portal network to escape far to the south.

The Child-who-would-be-God

The Netherese Empire contined to expand, and tempers with the dwarven and elven neighbours continued to flare. But it was neither the elves or the dwarves who would bring an end to the ancient Netherese. The Year of Great Rains, -696, saw the birth of Netheril's most infamous archmage, Karsus. Sages tell us that he was proficient in cantrips by age two, and by age twenty two he had joined the ranks of Netheril's elite archmagi.

But unbeknownst to the wizards of Netheril, their immense use of magic down the millenia had begun to play havoc with the ancient and hitherto undisturbed race of the Phaerimm. Since the age of the Sarrukh they had remain unknown and unnoticed in the depths of the earth until in -461 they commenced an assault on Netherese lowland farming communities using heretofore unseen lifedrain magic.

Slowly, but unceasingly, the lands of Netheril became the drifting sands of the Anauroch desert, and as the Netherese flying fortresses began to run low on food they continued to expand to the east. Civil unrest ensued. Further attacks by the Phaerimm destroyed two Netherese flying citadels, forcing the wizards to develop defensive countermeasures to protect their cities from this kind of destructive magic.

Karsus decided it was time to strike back against the Phaerimm and began to develop the most powerful spell ever known in the Realms, Karsus Avatar. With the use of this spell Karsus hoped to steal the divinity from one of the gods and use it to forever destroy the Phaerimm and reunite the fracturing Netherese Empire.

By -339 DR Karsus' preparations were complete and he decided he could wait no longer as the Anauroch continued to expand across Netherese territory. Karsus cast his mighty spell and chose Mystryl, goddess of magic, as his target. With the control of all magic at his fingertips, surely it would suffice to crush the Phaerimm once and for all!

The Fall of Netheril

Much to Karsus' abject horror, however, he quickly discovered that maintaining the integrity of the magic Weave across the realms was no task for an unprepared mortal man. Magic faltered and surged. It became unpredictable, uncontrollable. Karsus had made a huge mistake.

With her last ounce of divine power, Mystryl cut Karsus off from accessing the Weave and all magic everywhere failed that instant as the Weave collapsed. Mystryl, goddess of magic, perished. Karsus could only watch in horror as every mythallar-powered flying city fell from the sky, including his own, and the magical backlash from Mystryl's interference turned him into stone.

Mystra, the new goddess of magic, was birthed instantly out of Mystryl's demise, although the scholars and sages know not how. In a desperate attempt to stabilize the Weave, Mystra managed to catch three of the Netherese enclaves before they crashed, the remainder perished.

The Phaerimm continued their destruction and lifedrain dweomers unopposed until the interference of the mysterious Sharn, the fhaorn'quessir, a High Magic fusion of elves, dwarves and centaurs from Miyeritar's desperate attempt to stop the Dark Disaster, who managed to encase the Phaerimm in a powerful warding prison in the Year of the Closed Scroll, 329 DR.

Aftermath

Magic changed forever in the aftermath of Karsus Folly. On that day the new Goddess of Magic, Mystra, publically declared that magic shall never again reach such heights of power, being capped at the 9th Circle. Moreover, students of the arcane would no longer be permitted to access untapped quanitities of magic, being constrained to their intellectual capacity to memorize their spells ahead of time, and therefore limited in number.

The fears of Coronal Daenthiara proved to be correct. Without the tutelage of the elves and understanding what they had experienced from their own history, humanity erred in an even greater manner of magical excess. It took the death of the Goddess of Magic and the destruction of their greatest empire to awaken them to the potential perils of reckless spellcasting. Karsus, Unmaker of the Weave, has thus far been magic's greatest history lesson. The lands of Faerun and the history of Magic has never been the same since.

Lecture Four: The Magic Empires of the East

I admit that the previous volume was probably the high and low point of this series on the history of magic. The Empire of Netheril served as a very potent reminder to the student of the arcane that pride and arrogance in use of the Art will only lead to inevitable downfall.

This volume serves to reinforce that point by covering three lesser known, but equally influential, human nations dedicated to the study of the Art. The first of these existed, in fact, four millenia before the rise of Netheril. The second came much later, and came into frequent conflict with the third. I shall treat each in turn in this volume.

Imaskar

Records of the Imaskari civilisation are rather difficult to come by primarily due to the fact that they are recorded in the ancient dead language of Roushoum, a language I have been reliably told by scholars in Candlekeep that, if spoke incorrectly while dealing with ancient Imaskari artifacts, can result in fatal consequences. As such, most of the record comes from the nations which bordered them, in addition to the records of our own people, the Elves of Shalhoond and the Methwood.

It is supposed that the Imaskari empire was founded some eight thousand years prior to Dalereckoning as an alliance of tribal communities living upon the fertile steppes of what is now called the Hordelands. A chance discovery of ancient Batrachi ruins while digging for wells on the plains ushered in Imaskar's age of magic.

Knowledge gleaned from the ancient Batrachi lead to impressive Imaskari advances in portal magic. They became fascinated with magic dealing with extra dimensional spaces and came into contact with many extra-dimensional beings in their planar explorations.

However, their expansion on continental Faerun lead them to have frequent skirmishes with the elves at their northeastern border over logging and the destruction of Elvish sacred sites. Spurred by contact with an ancient fey race, the Leshay, met in their planar travels, the Imaskari respond with some ferocious raids on Elven mage towers and temples, plundering all their magical secrets.

The elves responded quickly, and in kind, destroying the Imaskar city of Inutia and disabling the planar portal to the Leshay realm. Tit-for-tat raids continue between the elves and the Imaskari for a thousand years afterwards.

The humiliated Imaskari turned to their western and southern borders to seek expansion and angered the Tuigan Sky God. Tuigan clerics conjured a great drought which plagued the once-fertile plainlands which are now the Raurin desert. In response, Imaskari rulership began persecuting practitioners of divine magic, even going so far as to establish a series of magical seals in their cities which release retributive energy against any detected use of divine magic.

With the successful expansion of their southern and western borders, the Imaskari eventually turned their attention back on the lands occupied by the Elves. In -4370 the Elven city of Myth Arvael was destroyed by powerful Imaskari magic which was targetted at the city's mythal, corrupting and disabling it and resulting in the city's destruction with some twenty thousand Elves slain.

Again, the Elven High Magi respond in kind and the perform a Ritual of Myriad, creating a plague which affected only the human race. Within ten days, 98% of the Imaskari army lay dead and the plague quickly spread across the Imaskari empire. The desperate citizens of Imaskar turned to the priests and temples for help, but two thousand years of religious persecution had produced only a charlatan religious system with no ability to actually channel divine assistance. The Imaskari empire, crippled by the loss of the working classes, wholly abandon their faith in the gods as a result.

The immense undersupply of labour called for a drastic solution. The Imaskari Artificers brought in hundreds of thousands of slaves from an extra-dimensional world. These people were the descendents of the Mulhorandi and Untheric races and they brought their faith with them. However, fearing divine retribution for their actions, the godless Imaskari wizards used their knowledge of planar magic to block the slave-peoples connection with the divine.

In a final attempt to subdue the Elves in the northeast, the Imaskari attacked the city of Myth Valorthae, hoping to do to it what they did to Myth Arvael. Unfortunately the High Magi had wisened to Imaskari tactics and had infused the city's mythal with immense spell turning capabilities. The reflected magic destroyed the invading army alongside the Imaskari battle magi. In a curious twist of fate, Lord Hilathram, emperor of Imaskar at the time, was slain as he watched the battle through a portal. The magical feedback from the reflected magic through the portal was so powerful that it killed him where he stood in his palace, hundreds of miles from the battlefield.

It was divine intervention that would bring Imaskar to its final demise. What they had denied, and persecuted for so long came back to bite them when in -2489 the Mulhorandi gods appeared from no-where upon the Godswatch mountains to liberate their enslaved worshippers. The arcane magic of the Imaskari artificers was unable to prevent the onward march of the incarnate deities of Mulhorand and by -2488 the last emperor of Imaskar, Yuvaraj Faraz, was personally slain by one of the manifestations of the Mulhorandi gods upon the steps of his royal palace.

Narfell

Of the nation of Narfell I have significantly less to say, given the relatively short length of their tenure upon Faerun. It was founded in -970 and quickly conquered the surrounding regions.

The reason Narfell gets a mention in this work is primarily because of their penchant for conjuring demons from the lower planes. Nar clerics experimented constantly to find ways of drawing upon the powers of these fell creatures, often entering atrocious blood pacts with them in exchange for powers. [sourced of ancient ilythiiri lore]

Their delusions of grandeur and power proved to be their undoing. The nar tried and failed to invade Mulhorand and Unther in -623. Their militaristic pechant ended in a decade-long war with the magic nation of Raumathar, which ended in -160 with their mutual destruction and a demon horde army on the loose in the plains towards the eastern realm of Rashemen.

Raumathar

The nation of Raumathar, on the other hand, filled the void left by the end of the Imaskari empire. Decended from the older Raumviran tribes, the Raumathari showed great skill in the art of evocation. In fact, there are few evokers who could match the sheer skill and understanding of that school as a Raumathari battle-wizard.

Raumathar was also credited for significant advances in golem-craft, a talent they inherited from lore they had acquired from ancient Imaskar. When the Great Conflagration occured with their enemies from Narfell, armies of Raumathari golems fought violent battles against the hordes of the Abyss summoned against them by the Nar demonbinders.

With both armies at an impasse, neither being able to wholly overcome the other, both the Raumathari and Nar spellcasters resorted to their last resorts. The Nar called upon the darkest summoning rituals to call forth demon lords to the prime. The Raumathari, on the other hand, besought the avatar of Kossuth, the quintessence of their interpretation of evocation to fight on their behalf.

It is unfortunate that in both cases, their intentions were thwarted. The Nar demon lords slew their conjurers and began a rampage towards the easten, neutral nation of Rashemen. The avatar of Kossuth, on the other hand, wholly destroyed both armies and proceeded to lay waste to the cities of Raumathar. Their burnt, crumbling ashes remain to this day.

Many of the Raumathari battle mages fled for Rashemen and assisted their shamans in putting down the demonic horde that had plagued the region after the war. Here they remained and mingled with the Rashemi, spawning a new generation of magic users perhaps better known to us as the Wychalarn, the ruling Rashemi conclave of female sorceresses and witches.

Reflections

Our brief and basic tour of the history of magic is now complete. On our journey we have heard of the rise and fall of kingdoms, the use and misuse of powerful magics, and the demise of Mystryl, first goddess of the Weave, and the rebirth of Mystra.

Of course, there is much that has remained unsaid. I have not discussed the magical kingoms of our present time, such as Thay or Halruaa, or those who have hidden away from the world in ages past, sealing their lives away with necromantic rituals so as to have a taste of what they think is eternal life.

Magic has, thus far, endured a world of abuses and irresponsible misuse. Yet through all the negatives there have been those who paused to reflect on the potential dangers inherent in the use of the Art and the safeguards best employed to see it flourish for the benefit of all. We have heard of the kingdom of Miyeritar, a font of arcane knowledge free for all and where all were free. We have heard of the elves of Eaerlann who sought to avert the inevitable, if at all possible, with proper and responsible tutelage.

Today, you, my students, have the opportunity to pave the future of magic. You will make the choices that have faced so many before, and will continue to face those who would untap magic's endless secrets. I pray that these lessons produce legacies worthy of the Mother of All Magic.

Series Foreword

Designed primarily for the use of current and prospective students of magic, this eight-part series is intended to serve as an introduction to the well-established concept of magical spell schools. There are eight established schools of magic in addition to the handful of spells whose effects lay outside of all of them: these few are known as universal spells and, as universal magic, ought to be covered at length during the student's apprenticeship and need not be delved into in these works.

I am in great debt to my local temple and Lady of Mysteries Neela Daren for giving me leave in Waterdeep to write these words, the fruits of which I hope the generations of arcane practitioners to come will take full advantage of, and my dear friend and fellow priestess Telia Santraeger for ever supporting me in my faith.

The School of Aburation: Introduction

One of the most ancient and important of the schools of magic, studies in the School of Abjuration often form a core component of all elemental arcane study. The reason is relatively simple: the abjurative magic encompasses the great variety of defensive and protective warding spells in addition to its ability to undo spun magical strands of the Weave to their original state. Thus, we may broadly divide the school into two major categories: Wards & Protections, and Dispellings.

Wards & Protections

Three subcategories form under the heading of abjurative wards and protections: personal, communal and repulsive. The first of these, personal abjurative wardings, are spells designed to protect a specified individual from a specific effect. These can be as broad as encompassing an entire school of magic, such as Non-Detecton offering warding from divination spells; an entire type of element, such as Energy Immunity: Fire; or a specified range of spell circles, such as Globe of Invunerability.

Personal abjuratives may also offer tangible physical benefits to enhance one's personal defense from physical or magical effects. A Shield spell will help protect the caster from both physical blows and the magical energy produced by a Magic Missile, whereas Spell Turning or Spell Mantle will reflect or absorb magical energy directed at it. It is quite clear that such abjurations form a key component for a mage's personal defenses, and such spells often find their place in a Spell Sequencer or Contingency, to be brought into effect when the activation criteria are met.

Communal wards proffer similar effects to what I have described above, with the additional benefit of affecting or benefiting more than the individual caster or singular recipient. Spells in this category include the powerful warding spells that are known to protect mage towers, ancient Netherese ruins or even the famed library-fortress of Candlekeep.

The fabled elven Mythals and Netherese Mythallar also fall into this category. Such magics are incredibly complex and often require more than one participant to even cast them, utilising expensive or rare spell components. Simpler abjuratives such as Protection from Spells or Azuth's Spell Shield also fall into this subcategory, as they are capable of warding more than just an individual.

The third subcategory of wards and protections encompasses a field of abjuration I have classified as repulsions. While effectively still a form of abjurative warding, and also being communal, repulsions work by wholly preventing creatures of the specified type from breaching the magical protective barrier. Such effects may be woven upon an individual, a group (centred usually on the caster), or on a location. Spells in this category include such things as Repulse Undead or Hilater's Misdirection.

Dispellings

Under this category of abjurations we have spells which attempt to reset, or unwind, woven magics to their original, raw and uncast state. Success is not necessarily guaranteed, depending on the manner of abjuration so cast, and can depend on the relative experience of both the abjurer and the originator of the spell one is attempting to remove. Dispellings are rarely affected by any kind of spell protection, such as globe of invunerability, mantle, spell reflection or even innate or magically obtained spell resistance.

I have subcategorized dispellings into four different types: breaches, dispels, suppressions and dismissals. Breaches are a kind of abjuration that specifically targets personal warding spells, be they of the school of abjuration, or of other protective spells from the schools of conjuration or transmutation, and the effects are both instantaneous and permanent. Breaches do not affect magical glamers of the school of illusion, however, neither may they remove divination effects.

A breach spell, depending on the kind used, will shatter spell protections upon the target without recourse to experience or relative power of either the subject performing the breach, or its intended object. Breaches cannot be affected by spell resistance but can be counterspelled, although their frequent side effect of decreasing innate or magical spell resistance in the object so breached can be nullified with a subsequent, successful abjurative dispelling. Breaches are often used in mage duels to remove spell protections and include such magics as Secret Word, Lesser & Greater Spell Breach, Ruby Ray of Reversal and Mordenkainen's Disjunction.

Abjurative dispelling encompasses another field of closely related spells. Dispelling magic works slightly differently to breach magic, targeting all known spell effects of all schools except for Prismatic Walls & Spheres, and Antimagic Field. Unlike breaching abjuratives, a dispel's effectiveness is entirely relative to its spell circle, the experience of its caster and the power behind of it intended object/s. As with breaches, all dispelling effects come into place immediately, and if successful their effects are permanent.

Unlike the single-object of a breach spell,dispelling magic may be targeted at a single individual or object, at which time all active spells upon it will attempt to revert to their natural state. It can also be used as an area of effect, in which case the most powerful, single magical effect of each individual or object in the targeted area will attempt to revert to their natural state. At higher circles, dispelling abjuratives may be created as a semi-permanent wall which, when crossed by a creature, will attempt to force its active spells to revert to their natual state.

Dispelling abjuratives have one additional advantage over breaching ones: a dispel may be uses as a universal counterspell. This comes with an important caveat: the power of the circle of dispelling used, and the relative experience between both casters still plays an important part in whether such a universal counterspell will be successful.

Dispels used in such a way may only counterspell magics at or below their equivalent circle. A third circle dispel magic could counterspell a fireball spell, for example, but it could not counterspell a flame strike or confusion spell, the latter two being of the fifth and fourth circles respectively. Mordenkainen's Disjunction functions as both a breach and a dispelling abjuration at the same time, making it incredibly potent.

Suppressions are another subcategory of the school of abjuration which revert the Weave to its original state, but unlike dispels and breaches, their effects are not permanent. Two important spells of this category are Antimagic Field and Suppress Wards. The latter erects a spherical field around the caster, through and inside of which magic does not function. This includes magically enchanted items, potions, wands and the like. The field moves with its caster, and any magic that it comes into contact with is immediately disabled. However, if the field were to pass on beyond an object or invididual, all the magical functions and spells will awaken once more as if nothing had happened.

Suppress Wards, on the other hand, is designed to temporarily disable powerful warding magics upon objects, such as an enchanted door or mage's sanctum. Its effects are as temporary as an Antimagic Field, however, so great caution is required so as not to become trapped under or between layers of warding magic.

The final subcategory of abjurative dispellings are the dismissals. Spells in this category are used to return summoned creatures to their home planes, or return polymorphed creatures to their original forms, or remove curses, hexes or geas. Dismissals are the only category of abjurative magic that are susceptible to innate or magical spell resistance. Because of this, arcanists who focus on exorcism often take additional training in weaving their spells in such a manner as to be able to pierce the often innate spell resistance of the creatures they are called upon to banish from the Prime.

Summary

The school of abjuration is an important school for both the novice hedge wizard or the most learned archmage. Few other schools can match its penchant for protection, and when combined with its ability to revert almost all magic to its original, unwoven state, abjuration becomes of critical importance to overcoming magically inclined adversaries, from dragons to demons to wayward wizards and witches.

The School of Conjuration: Introduction

When one thinks of a conjurer, often what comes to mind are the fantastic, and sometimes horrendous, summoning rituals which conjure great and powerful creatures from other dimensions to aid the conjurer in some or other task, be it good or ill. This is a rather unfortunate general perception, because though the school is well known for its summoning and calling spells, there is simply so much more available at the fingertips of a talented conjurer. Magic of the school of conjuration can be roughly divided into five distinct subcategories: summoning, calling, creation, healing and teleportation. I shall treat each in turn.

Summoning

One of the most ancient and core components of the conjurer's art, summoning is often perceived as the backbone of the school. Summoning can refer to the act of conjuring either a creature, an object or a type of energy to the place the caster determines.

Summoned creatures are conjured from an extra-dimensional plane of existence to the caster's chosen destination. Creatures so conjured are actually manifestations of the original, meaning if they are slain or dispelled the creature evaporates, returning to its point of origin and reforming itself. An identical creature cannot be resummoned during this reformation process, which usually takes about a day, although a creature of a different type or power can be.

Summoned objects and energy effects appear at the point designated the the relevant spell. Some are offensive conjurations, such as Flame Arrow, causing searing-hot projectiles to shoot forth from the caster's hand at the intended target. Others are rather famous and effective spells such as Grease, Stinking Cloud and Cloudkill, bringing oily or noxious vapours to a location of the caster's choosing. It is important with these latter types to prepare backup removal magics such as Gust of Wind, and be wary of using them in indoor spaces.

There are also recall-type conjurations, causing a specifically marked object to return to the caster's possession. Such effects, usually being instantaneous in nature, are not subject to dispelling magics.

Calling

Easily confused with summoning proper, calling is a distinct category of conjurative magic. It differs from summoning in that the called creature is pulled from its home plane in its entirety, meaning if it is slain the creature is actually dead: it will not reform at its point of origin. This obviously implies some risk to the called creature, thus all beings so called will attempt to negotiate a specific contract with the caller as to their specific terms of service.

It is of uttmost importance to specify the conditions of return in such contracts, for called creatures retain the ability to return once, at will, to their home plane. Called creatures may also request specific payment for the services, be it magical items, treasure, slaves or a counter-contract or service.

Called creatures appear instantaneously after the completion of the relevant spell at the location specified by the conjurer, and because they are the real creature in its entirety they cannot be dispelled. They can, however, be abjured and banished back to their home plane.

Creation

This particular subschool of conjurative magic differs significantly from the School of Transmutation in several key ways. While transmutation is wholly capable of transforming one kind of matter wholly into another, conjurative creation is able to create a duplicate amount of a substance, be it metal, wood, earth, crystal, depending on the power of the spell so used.

It is of crucial importance, however, to remember that spell components cannot be duplicated in such a manner. Duplication of rare metals require a sample of the same, and lesser creation spells are only temporary. However, some of the more fantastic effects of conjurative creations have changed the face of Toril itself, so it is not a subcategory to be regarded lightly by any means.

Healing

Some might wonder why healing magic occupies a subcategory of the School of Conjuration rather than being of the School of Necromancy and the answer is relatively straightforward. Conjurative healing effects work by bringing energies from the Positive Energy plane to the caster and then infusing them into the target/s. Thus, healing is technically a kind of energy summoning, although some aspects of it go much further.

There are many stories that about of powerful magics capable of bringing even the deceased back to life. Called angelic beings are known to possess such magic at their fingertips, in fact. Such magic requires incredibly expensive spell components, however, so unfortunately it rests beyond the power of everyday folk and all but the most successful of adventurers.

Teleportation

The final aspect of conjurative magic are teleportations. An incredibly useful ability to move from place to place in an instant, teleportation falls under the school's power simply by the manner in which it works. It effectively summons the caster and her allies from their current point of origin to the intended destination.

All conjurative teleportation utilises travel through the Astral Sea, and because of this there are certain abjurative countermeasures available to prevent it. Spells such as Dimensional Anchor, and the more powerful Dimensional Lock come to mind, in addition to various localised warding magics such as those that guard the tomes of Candlekeep.

It is also possible to fail to fully realise the intended destination and be thrown off course, from a few miles to many hundreds, or even accidentally portalling to an alternate plane entirely. Furthermore, if a teleportation attempt fails due to warding effects or inattention it is wholly possible to be shunted aside into a solid object, such as a ceiling or mountain, with potentially fatal results. Students are highly advised to perfect teleportation basics with the much simpler Dimensional Door before progressing to more strenuous versions.

Summary

The School of Conjuration is far more than just a means to summon extraplanar creatures to the caster's side. It is more than capable of creating energy and recalling objects, as well as performing impressive acts of almost-fiat creation, and it is often through the school of conjuration that one may transport themselves not just across the Prime, but into all the other known planes.

Caution needs to be shown in many conjurative related activities. Contracted creatures can exact demanding repayments on the unawares, clouds of noxious gases conjured in confined spaces can prove as potentially fatal as being shunted into a castle wall from a failed teleportation spell. How fortunate, to those who can afford it, that healing and resurrection magics also belong to this important and powerful school of magic.

The School of Divination: Introduction

All ages, both past and present, have had a rather avid and keen desire to be able to unlock not only the secrets of the past but also snippets of the future. Often the central forte of seers, prophets and fortune tellers Faerun-wide, the School of Divination has a mixed reputation amongst scholars and students of the Art.

There are those who scoff at its apparent weaknesses: divination seems to have few spells with combative capabilities; it neither conjures creatures nor energy to the caster's aid with which to cause harm. However, at the fingertips of every diviner rests an armoury far more potent than any evocation: untapped sources of knowledge of places, of objects, of creatures, all of which form significant contributions to a wise wizard's arsenal of spells, for there is more to magic than simply hurling it at ones' enemies.

Divination spells may be broadly categorised into four overlapping categories: scrying, foresight, deciphering and last of all a diviner's most powerful weapon: Truename magic.

Scrying

When asked about divination, most common folks might have images of a fortune-teller hidden away in her tent, steeped in mystical fog and dim candles staring aimlessly into a sphere of pure crystal, claiming visions of this or that. A good deal of this image is true, and falls into the category of scrying, one of the school's most utilised aspects.

Scrying encompasses a field of divination magic that attempts to see or hear what otherwise cannot, or should not, be seen or heard. A king may receive counsel from his most trusted seer about the position of his enemy's troops simply because the seer has actually used scrying to spy on their locations, and other scrying magics even permit the transit of sound or voice from great distance.

This manner of scrying may also be used to locate lost people or objects, or even communicate with powers beyond our mortal world. Omens of danger may be sought from the gods with such spells, and their direct aid may be sought through the use of auguries or even direct communion with the divine world.

It is through the use of such magic that diviners often know what is going to happen before it happens, or through communion with other-worldly or divine beings are able to acquire the knowledge they need to succeed in a given task. Such abilities are easily underestimated in their value and importance to the practising arcanist, but what greater advantage could one possibly have than to see the thief coming before he knows he has been sprung?

Foresight

A closely related subcategory to scrying is that of foresight. Where it differs is in the direct application of the knowledge so gleaned. Foresight typically refers to divining the future so as to respond in the present, whereas scrying is diving the activity of the present (often remotely) so as to acquire knowledge and respond accordingly.

Foresight often involves complicated spells which permit their caster extra-sensory vision a few moments into the future, and by so doing they may actually take action in the present to wholly prevent, or even encourage those future realities to come to pass. One of the most powerful spells in this category is Premonition, a very powerful spell that permits the diviner to perceive hostile actions against them a few moments in the future, and thereby react accordingly.

This kind of magic therefore acts as a kind of personal security, permitting the diviner to save their own life before the reality of the danger ever comes to pass. The assassin's dagger may be dodged, the poison cup untouched and the hurled fireball foreseen and counterspelled before it could cause harm.

Deciphering

In this category of divinations there are many loosely related spells. Some operate closer to scrying spells, in that they have a tendency to reveal what could not otherwise be seen by the diviner. This includes spells such as Detect Illusions, See Invisibility and True Seeing, all spells which permit the caster to perceive what would otherwise be concealed from them via magic or other supernatural means.

But deciphering also deals with a field of divination that can reveal information about the past. A Legend Lore spell may seem useless at the best of times, but it will have critical importance to a wandering sage who has just uncovered an ancient, unidentified ruin about which he knows little. Similarly, an Identify spell will reveal critical information about an obscure magical item whose powers and history might otherwise remain unknown and untapped.

The spells Detect Magic, Know Protections and Analyse Dweomer also fall into this category as spells which discern truths about magical auras and effects, knowledge of which that may just prove to be the difference between life and death in certain circumstances.

Truenaming

This category is perhaps the least known but most powerful aspect of the School of Divination. Truename magic occupies a highly specialised niche and requires a lifetime of dedication to study the ancient and virtually unpronounceable language of Truespeak.

While mastery of Truespeak forms the core component of Truename magic, it intersects with the arts of Divination simply because of the need to uncover portions, however miniscule, of the Truename of various persons or objects. Everything that exists in the world has a unique and different Truename and when uttered correctly, even the smallest syllable of a Truename can render power to the Truenamer over the subject it is calling.

Truename divinations are not for the faint hearted. They are the epitome of the school and can cause effects ranging from instantaneous sleep, weakness, blindness, stunning and even immediate death of the Truenamed subject. The sheer difficulty of mastering the art of Truespeak fortunately keeps it out of the hands of all but the most dedicated diviners, but the heavens themselves cannot help you should you ever find yourself on the receiving end of a correctly formulated Truename divination.

Summary

The school of divination thus encompasses a variety of important skills that will find their place in the arsenal of a skilled arcanist at the best and worst of times. Many great and searching questions, not just about magic but of the nature of reality itself, can be sought out and answered using divinations.

Foresight and scrying can give the student of divination an edge over his or her opponents, allowing them to make the surprise moves ahead of both friend and foe alike. Diviners are a somewhat rare breed, given the supposed weaknesses of the school, yet it is unwise to wholly underestimate the mystical capabilities of Truename magic. One just never knows if that learned sage is hiding far more knowledge than he is willing to reveal until his life is in danger, and should you be on the receiving end you had best hope you have Spell Reflection prepared on a contingency!

The School of Enchantment: Introduction

The mind is often a key battleground for magical endeavours and it should prove little surprise to the students of magic that an entire school is dedicated to effects which alter mental perception of the world around them.

The School of Enchantment is one of the most highly feared forms of the Art amongst the general populace, for it is to the art of enchanting that a great many tavern stories belong, of nobles charmed against their will, righteous warriors being paralysed in their tracks or even wholly dominated to change sides of the battle completely.

It is important for the student of magic to note, however, that the School of Enchantment ought not be confused with the art and process of magical enchanting. The latter refers to the creation of magical items; the former to the school of magic we are about to explore in its two primary components: charms and compulsions.

Charms

The art of Charm is one of the central staples of the enchanter's world. Charms are a manner of enchantments that alter a creature's perception of reality, often in a way which favours the enchanter. The most basic charm is the first circle spell Charm Person which may be used to turn unsavoury situations into more peaceable ones, or to curry favour in diplomacy by turning the apathetic in favour of one's cause.

Charmed creatures retain the entire and unhindered use of their mental faculties. The only change rendered by these kinds of charming spells is that their minds become more favourable towards the enchanter. A hostile thug will become neutral or indifferent, whereas a neutral merchant will start to think in the enchanter's favour. A friend would become incessantly loyal, at least until the spell's effects wear off, at which time the subject's mental perceptions will slowly return to normal.

People affected by charms often have no recollection that something was ever changed in their thought patterns unless they did or said something so uncharacteristic that it brought suspicion from their own friends, relatives or colleagues.

Another kind of charming spell are those which instill great courage in the recipient. These effects are entirely mental boons and more powerful varieties such as Greater Heroism can even confer complete fearlessness in the subject. This makes them rather useful against terrible foes that by nature invoke horrendous fear, such as dragons, demons or powerful spellcasting liches.

Charms are best used with great care and precision, for while they are valuabe forms of magical persuasion there are, of course, counters and detections available within the schools of Abjuration and Divination. While a merchant or diplomat might be charmed to give your cause considerable favour, being caught using such means for political or mercantile advantage will surely provoke the ire of local authorities which in and of itself can lead to far more dire consequences.

Compulsions

This particular aspect of the School of Enchantment encompasses a great variety of magical effects which wholly consume the minds of the subjects, effectively forcing them to take actions (or non-actions) that they otherwise would not had they been sound of mind. It is to this subsection of enchantment that its most feared effects come.

Tavern stories about of great and irrepressible fighters who are brought to nothing by the single incantation of a Hold Person spell and afterwards horribly devoured by some evil fiend. Many of these stories have great degrees of truth to them, unfortunately, for such effects do indeed rest at the fingertips of a skilled enchanter.

One subsection of compulsions are those which wholly subject the mind of the recipient to the will and whims of the spell's caster. Such mental domination often requires much training and significant spellcasting experience, but it must be duly noted that creatures falling under mental domination are often perceptibly 'absent' of their normal selves, often displaying uncharacteristic patterns of behaviour, speech, movement and other telltale signs of familiarity.

Certain types of creatures are also innately capable of such effects, namely sirines and nymphs, in addition to the far more dreaded and feared vampires and illithid psions. The latter are so well known for their abilities of mental domination that it is actually incredibly rare for any encounter with them to result in anything other than one's immediate enslavement. It is strongly encouraged to have extra preparations of Protection from Evil or Mind Blank when dealing with such creatures, lest one fall under their immediate sway.

Another category of compulsions are sleep effects. These kinds of spells are rather useful to the novice enchanter as an ideal means of navigating hostility in an entirely pacifistic manner: one can lull their adversaries to sleep if caught by surprise and escape without bloodshed. Such magic works well against wild animals such as wolves and bears, although it will not work against giant insects, arachnids, undead and anyone born of elven, draconic or fey blood.

As mentioned earlier in this piece, another division of compulsion effects are the inhibitive enchantments. Spells such as Hold Person and Hold Monster are used equally by heroes and villains alike, the former to capture lawbreakers and evildoers for justice by law, the latter to torment helpless captives. This is why such magic is generally loathed, and items such as Wands of Paralysation so greatly feared: even the most powerful raging barbarian can be turned into a helpless invalid. Use such spells with extreme caution and care, especially powerful versions that effect an area, for they are indiscriminate and will affect friend and foe alike.

Finally, the last section of compulsive enchantment are the chaos spells. Such magics penetrate and muddle clear thought to such an extent that those effected can barely perceive reality, let alone friend from foe. Spells such as Confusion fill out this section, but it should never be underestimated just how effective a well placed Confusion can be to turn a rampaging horde of orcs upon one another, leaving the heroes relatively unharmed to pick off the surviving, injured remnants once they have raged one against the other and exhausted their strength.

There are a variety of abjurations that guard the mind from such injurious enchantments. Protection from Evil will guard one's mind against an illithid's psionic probing just as effectively as a Mind Blank will guard against the confusing gaze of an umber hulk. A Protection against Good might even save one of your own allies from being confused amongst a horde of goblins you intend to set against one another, so remember to think carefully about how you will use a compulsion and plan your protections accordingly.

Summary

It is right that the School of Enchantment is regarded as a school of great caution, because it is. There could be nothing worse than falling under the mental domination of one's enemy and being forced to do things against one's will. On the other hand, a talented enchantress can rout an invading army with a handful of holding, confusing or slumbering spells, in addition to bolstering the courage of her allies so that their morale does not fail.

Within the mind of an enchanter rests the power to alter the minds of others, equally for good as for evil. Students mindful of the responsible use of magic would do well to take such cautions to heart, and reserve their most powerful compulsions for times of uttmost necessity. Who knows, maybe charming that ogre berserker would accomplish more than simply angering it into a blind rage of destruction because of threats of steel on steel?

The School of Evocation: Introduction

There is nothing as awe-inspiring in the minds of young children as when a joybringer of Lliira performs a pyrotechnics show on one of Faerun's many festival holy days. Bright iridiscent flashes illumine both the night sky and exuberant gazing eyes as these magical explosions pop and fizzle again into the apparent nothingness from which they sprung.

What the keen student of magic ought to perceive from the above example is the quinessence of the School of Evocation. Also known in older circles as Invocation, this kind of magic is, in effect, the creation of something from what seems to be nothing. Of course evocation effects do not originate as nothing, but are rather the relatively instantaneous drawing together of raw threads of magic through the medium of the Weave.

Evocation spells differ from conjuration and transmutation effects insofar as evocation neither brings something to the caster from another place or plane, neither does it convert matter or energy from one kind to another. Instead, a magical effect is created instantaneously by the caster and directed towards its target according to the evoker's mere whim. It is no suprise, therefore, that the great bulk of all offensive spell-slinging magic forms a part of this impressive school. We may roughly divide evocations into two major categories: elemental and force.

Elemental Evocation

It ought to be relatively clear at the outset that the greater part of spells constituting the School of Evocation have their origins within the study of the elemental elements of acid, cold, electricity, fire and sonic. Such categories ought not to be confused with their relevant planes, however, the latter being a primary field of study for the School of Conjuration. Nevertheless, it is wise for the student of elemental evocation to study the elemental planes because it can only prove to be a boon to their understanding of how elemental energies operate on the Prime material plane.

Elemental evocation is a rather expansive field, so it is quite normal for such specialist evokers to sub-specialise in a particular element that occupies their primary interest. Such mages are often named after their respective fields: fire mage, frost mage, caustic mages, etc, and an entire lifetime may be spent researching the variety of ways a particular element can be created using Mystra's Weave.

Spells of elemental evocation often find an important place in a wizard's repertoire, although sorcerers far more commonly focus on a particular element or two due to their lack of versatility. The great advantage of elemental magic is that there is usually going to be something within the realms of the elemental forces that will be able to cause a desired magical effect.

A mage preparing to battle a red dragon, for example, ought to be wise enough to realise that elemental fire spells such as Burning Hands, Fireball and even the legendary Meteor Swarm will have no effect on such a creature. It would be far better to expend one's memory upon spells of the cold descriptor such as Frost Breath, Ice Darts or Cone of Cold instead, thus maximising the threat quotient to that particularly dreaded foe.

Similar things may be said of other situations. While a Combust spell may prove highly valuable for breaching a heavy oaken door, a Thunderclap or Shout would be far more superior against objects made of stone or metal. It should be clear, then, why it is important to prepare a selection of different elemental magics to deal with a wide range of potential situations, unless one has advance knowledge of the circumstances or foes that need to be overcome.

It is also within the realms of plausibility to become so wholly acquainted with one specific element that it almost becomes a component of one's own elemental essence. One must be rather cautious following such dedicated lines of study, however, for just as heat is the bane of cold, so too will a frost mage develop a natural weakness for that which his specialisation loathes so. The reward, however, is such advanced mastery of their element that they can even wholly bypass natural or magical resistances to it, meaning that in an uncanny irony a red dragon might be taught to fear the fire it craves.

Force Evocation

This particular subschool of evocation is one of the first to be mastered, and is of great utilitarian use throughout a mage's career. The well known and loved Magic Missile spell is often the first force magic mastered by even the lowliest apprentice and for good reason: force effects are rarely countered by resistance. The can be covered over with defensive abjurations such as a Shield spell or specific Spell Immunity, but such specialised defenses are rare unless an opponent is already aware of one's penchant for force effects and is expecting their company.

Force magic is not only useful for its general tendency to bypass resistances, but also for its ability to strike targets that might otherwise be entirely unharmed by other means. Casting a Fireball against a wraith, for example, will often be met with little success. However, hitting it with an Orb of Force or Magic Missile shall strike its true nature even across the Ethereal plane.

It is also important to note that some force spells are not instantaneous and may create a persistent evocation effect. Enchanted Blade is an incredibly useful one of these in that it will create a weapon made of pure force energy in the evoker's hand which may be used for up to twenty four hours thereafter, a potentially superior option to memorizing several Magic Missile spells. In a similar vein, Mordenkainen's Sword evokes a wholly independent version of an Enchanted Blade, albeit with a much shorter duration, which is able to perform the caster's bidding unswervingly.

Lastly we ought to remember an incredibly useful line of powerful force evocations: the Bigby spells. Often found at the fingertips of the most powerful evokers, these spells are capable of creating a great variety of effects, from creating cover, to bullrushing and pinning opponents, even grappling them with such ferocity that they will choke to death if the magic is not dispelled or disintegrated by another mage. The forces are so strong in this line of magic that they are capable of halting the advance of a 2,000lbs. raging giant barbarian.

Summary

When one thinks of a display of flashy spell-slinging, one is often witnessing evocation in action. To the School of Evocation belongs the greatest array of offensive magics in a great variety of forms: cones, chains, balls and walls of fire, cold, electricity and sound.

Evokers ought to consider their arrangement of spells carefully so as to be prepared for a variety of plausible situations. Force spells are generally useful for all mages, not just evokers, especially when combating incorporeal enemies. All in all, evocation is the spell school that often has the brightest, most colourful and potentially dangerous effects.

However, when it comes to the output of raw power, enough to even rout an army, one should never neglect the School of Evocation. Even the mere thought of a Meteor Swarm ought to put a tremble in every apprentice's knees, for such is the raw potential of this spectacular school of magic.

The School of Illusion: Introduction

One of the most entertaining schools of magic, without a doubt, is that which we are about to embark upon in this book. Often forming a central component to the acts of circus clowns, itinerant minstrels and many a great gnomish prank, spells of the School of Illusion are famed for the fantastical nature of their effects.

From the sleuthful arts of invisibility to creating complete illusory doubles, all lay within the realms of possibility in this school of magic. Illusions consist of a cunning combination of shrewd mental deception and making the fantastic or fearsome seem as real as the reality it porports to copy.

Illusionary spells differ from the School of Enchantment in that the latter school aims at meddling with the very nature of the subjects mind and interfering with its perceptive capacity, whereas illusions meddle with the mind though the art of deception and trickery, thereby deluding one's unhindered perceptions. Furthermore, all illusions may be simply disbelieved by the perceptive or strong of mind, potentially nullifying their effects completely.

Illusions use representations of objects, creatures or the subjects own fears to project complex webs of delusionment and non-reality upon them. Illusionary magic is typically divided into five succint subcategories which we shall explore in turn: figments, glamers, patterns, phantasms and shadows.

Figments

Figments are, in their most elemental essence, a false sensation of a thing, object or person. Figments can never make something appear as something else, but a figment can represent or copy something that already is. Figments always appear the same to all who perceive them; they are not subjective mind-affecting properties that can change or differ subject-to-subject.

It is important to realise that a figment can never produce real effects. So while an illusionist may create an illusory image of a freshly baked loaf of bread, that loaf cannot be eaten for nourishment, or stacked amongst other loaves. Such figments cannot support mass, neither can they halt a projectile or offer any other means of protection besides confounding or deceiving those who encounter them.

There are many popular and useful spells in this category of illusions. Figments like Ventriloquism may throw an illusory voice from a specified direction or location. Mirror Image makes numerous duplicates of the caster which stand a short distance away. If struck by a foe, such figments instantly disappear one-by-one, not to mention the possibility of the caster being successfully targeted and struck amidst all of them.

There are other figments, such as Programmed Images, which may begin to take on the sound, smells, textures and tastes of the objects or persons they duplicate, however despite their apparent realism they are wholly illusory: nothing about them is real. Other figments are combined with glamer-like effects, to which we now turn.

Glamers

An illusory glamer alters a subjects sensory qualities, making it look, feel, taste, sound or smell like something else. They differ from figments in this regard in that the object, person or thing for all appearances actually has the full sensory nature of the object, person or thing so imagined.

Skilled illusionists typically use glamers to trick, deceive or avoid others. A gnomish circus clown might, for example, use Disguise Self to appear like an ogre or orc. Spells like Displacement project the caster's location as something other than it truly is, makin such magic have useful protective capabilities.

Invisibility is also a very well known and popular glamer, causing the recipient to wholly disappear, whereas in truth it is still there in its entirety. Mislead is an incredibly powerful variant of this effect whereby the caster wholly swaps her location with an illusory figment of herself, while simultaneously being cloaked in a glamer of invisibility and thus being able to dart aside and escape.

Some glamers also prove to be useful at protecting the caster or a subject against probing divination attempts to unveil the subterfuge. False Vision, for example, will send a predetermined image of the caster's making into a scrying sensor and thus to the scryer, potentially giving her the impression of something that is not actually there.

Other glamers may cover over the obvious with something the caster would rather let them see. Hallucinatory Terrain, for example, may make the dark, gaping maw of a pit trap seem like the rest of the carpeted interior of a palace, and the more sophisticated Mirage Arcana may make even the greatest fortified castle appear as but an old, abandoned ruin. Many elvish communities conceal the locations of their cities and villages with spells such as these, so as to avoid the prying eyes of would-be interlopers, with great success.

Patterns

This particular subset of illusory magic are the beginning of its mind-affecting capabilities. Patterns are typically the creation of some illusory effect which is visible to others, but at the same time the act of perceiving it begins to play immediate tricks upon the mind.

The most widely used pattern is the first circle spell called Colour Spray. This helpful spell creates a fan of shimmering colour which, when perceived and touched by those in its area of effect, immediately begins to muddle their minds. Effects can range from momentary blindness, falling soundly asleep, to being wholly stunned and helpless.

Phantasms

While closely related to patterns, phantasmal illusions differ in that their effects are purely subjective and not wholly visible or perceptible to casual observers. Such third parties do not notice the spell itself, although they may well notice phantasmal effects if the subject succumbs to their own inner fears and trepidations.

Most phantasms work by the planting of a mental image in the mind of the subject by the illusionist. Such mental images are purely the creation of the subject's race, culture, upbringing or other purely subjective factors. A human who is inflicted with a phantasmal Nightmare is likely to perceive something wholly different to a halfling or even another human who has come from a different region and culture.

While not real in and of themselves, phantasmal spells are wholly perceived as real in the minds of those affected by them, and their effects are similarly real. Two important (and dangerous) spells are of special note here: Phantasmal Killer and Weird. Both spells evoke an utterly horrendous and fearsome image in the mind of the subject, or in the case of Weird, subjects, which must be disbelieved at the outset.

If the subject fails to disbelieve it, the horrendous mental projection will reach forth and strike at the subject. This often results in the subjects immediate death by the sheer forces of terror, however a third party observing this spell in action would only observe the subject fall down dead with a visage of abject horror imprinted upon its now-lifeless features.

Shadows

The final subcategory of illusionary magic are the shadow spells. While easily confused for spells of their respective categories, shadow spells are an illusory copy of the school of magic they are duplicating, typically conjurations or evocations.

The interesting feature about such shadow spells is that they actually draw upon subtle energies from the Plane of Shadow, meaning that even if they are wholly disbelieved by the subjects, their effects remain partially real. A shadow-conjured Melf's Acid Arrow will still sear armour and flesh with caustic acid, just as a shadow-evoked Fireball will burn and sizzle the same. In both cases, however, the act of disbelieving will lessen their respective effects considerably, although shadow illusions will always retain a portion of their power.

Summary

The School of Illusion is a rather interesting one indeed. Naturally opposed by the divining arts, an illusionist nevertheless has some impressive powers at their disposal, including several glamers capable of deluding even the most experienced diviner.

Illusory figments permit a student of this school to appear to create that which is not, and glamers to cover over that which is. Patterns bedazzle and confuse the minds of those who see them, and the more experienced illusionists have far more fatal and devastating phantasms and shadow spells latent to their potential aresenal.

This all-round versatility makes illusion a widely sought-after talent, equally serving the cause of evil as for good. Responsible practitioners of magic would do well to remember not to allow their own minds to be caught up in the fantastic fantasy that is the world of illusion. The truth still exists beyond the most powerful figments and glamers, and one must always be wary lest that truth find you out at an inopportune moment.

The School of Necromancy: Introduction

One of the most, if not the most, feared and maligned of the schools of magic, Necromancy has long held a dark and terrible reputation. Almost everyone knows of the existence of the risen dead, and the unfortunate few have had to personally battle them toe-to-toe, but what could possibly be good about a school of magic that has so much propensity to turn our buried loved ones into minions of evil?

The answer is simple, yet complex at the same time. The simple answer is that not all necromancy is about the creation of hordes of undead minions, although there is barely any spells of the school where one is not reaching out and touching the powers of the Negative Energy Plane, a dangerous task in and of itself.

Necromancy is best divided into three overlapping subschools: lifeforce, death and undeath, which I shall treat delicately in turn. Along the way I shall also attempt to discuss the many and great moral quandries the School of Necromancy brings, such as why Mystra would allow the creation or use of her magic in such ways. That is indeed the most problematic aspect of this widely loathed field of divine and arcane study.

I must also confess my own inadequacy in discussing the core components of the school, given the fact I eschewed any rigorous training in its arcane applications a great many moons ago in favour of my personal pursuit of divination magic. The majority of my overview stems from my training in the divine and many of my opinions are coloured with that particular perspective.

Lifeforce

I should like to commence this introduction to the so-called Dark Arts with what little positives I can find in the school: lifeforce magic. Generation after generation have pondered the inevitable question of mortality and potential answers to it. This is the field of lifeforce study, the analysis of the means and methods to increase or alter vitality through a variety of necrotic means.

One initial aspect of this field of necromancy are magics that protect from a variety of anti-life necromancy magics. While primarily the field of various clergy, arcanists can tap into the primary necrotic energy source, the Negative Energy Plane, to empower their own vitality. Some such means are subtle and inobtrusive, such as the spell False Life. As its name suggests, it is only a temporary boost, but it is a boost nonetheless and does not occur at the expense of another creature.

Spells like Vampiric Touch, however, do. If cast on a willing subject it could be seen as morally permissible to those interested in resposible magic practice, while others lacking such moral quandry would use it to replenish what they lacked regardless of the cost inflicted upon another. Other similar spells such as Ray of Enfeeblement likewise cause momentary alteration of a being's strength or life force.

These pale in power compared to the more dangerous lifedraining magics of Enervation and Energy Drain, but it must be said that such spells are only capable of affecting the lifeforce of others and cannot transfe such drained powers to the necromancer.

Mystra tolerates the latter primarily because her major concern is the promulgation and development of all magic and magical theory, and the protection of her Weave which makes it all possible. This point unsettles some of the more goodly faiths, such as the clergy of Lathander and Selune, but if undertaken with responsible Mystran oversight there is little to be feared from it. It is those who pursue unsupervised necromantic arts that often become the troublemakers and villians worthy of being marked for destruction before they destroy the lives of others.

Where things get truly difficult for those who wish to pursue a responsible understanding of necromancy is lifeforce magic that taps into the essence of the living soul, typically the souls of willing or unwilling subjects for the sake of extending personal longevity. I can only hope to caution my readers that dealing with souls is a dangerous and often irreversible, a narrow path that is neither entered upon, nor exited from, lightly.

Death

A proper introductory discussion of necromancy must, at some point, hinge around the grim and sombre topic of death and the great variety of magicfrom this school which can directly cause it. This is, understandably, one of the most difficult and frightening aspects of necromancy and one of the two primary reasons it is so greatly feared.

Death magic is necrotic magic that causes the fear, or the actual occurrence, of death in its subjects. It is somewhat fortunate that the more powerful kinds require a lifetime's dedication to master, but by no means are they to be underestimated. With but a pointed finger an experienced necromancer can turn a living being into but a lifeless corpse; a throng of invading goblins into soulless mortal shells; and that is not to speak of the devasating power represented with a spell of the calibre of Wail of the Banshee.

Just as the School of Conjuration can call forth life and health from the positive energy plane, so to can Mystra's Weave be channelled to bring death and weakness. Magic is thus a kind of eternal balancing act. One cannot truly have a world with only one of life or death, as much as we might wish it were only the former and not the latter. Death has its place in the world, although I hasten to add that those tutored in Mystra's tenets do not make it a practice to use their magic to the detriment of others, though not all practitioners of the darker arts of necromancy have such amicable consciences.

Undeath

The concept of the living dead is perhaps the most questionable aspect of a necromancer's art, although it must be said that not all necromancers follow this path. Most civilised cultures are borne of the belief that the dead are sacred and should not be disturbed, and to disturb them by lifeless reanimation is to break the natural order of things.

Nevertheless, necrotic power does allow the dead to rise in undeath and serve a cause, whether good or evil. At this point one might wonder what possible good could ever come from animating the dead in such a manner and I will respond two-fold. Firstly, a community may find a need for a particular hero to live beyond what a normal mortal life would allow, and a journey into undeath permits this particular point, although not without its significant drawbacks.

Secondly, in the course of an important mission a person's valuable ally may perish in the midst of tense fighting where their presence could turn the tide of battle. A Revenance spell would reanimate them for a short time in temporary undeath to perform the caster's bidding and perhaps provide the impetus required to turn or even end the battle once and for all, after which their soul is finally released in death as their lifeless form falls to the ground one last time as the spell's magic peters out.

Due to its inherently evil nature, most respectable city-states and lands outlaw all magic related to the creation of undead and this leads to most necromancers undertaking such research to be driven underground. Temples of Mystra are occasionally known to tolerate the practice, where permitted by local laws, as a legitimate avenue of arcane study insofar as experiments are conducted with lawfully acquired or donated remains, or the animal remains of a butcher's trade or even slain troublesome monsters.

Many necromancers do, unfortunately, use their knowledge of undeath as stepping stones to their ultimate goal of becoming one themselves. For some this can be, as I pointed out above, to become a receptacle of a community's knowledge and lore, or to become an eternal guardian to be awakened from deathless slumber at times of great need.

For others it is to buy time, a precious commodity for practitioners of the arcane who feel they have not yet accomplished their goals or fully mastered their magic. While I can neither commend nor condemn either course, I will suggest that those who undertake such irreversible actions as lichdom or vampirism ought to do so with the understanding that magic of the selfsame school they have mastered can be used against them. Undeath to Death never works on a living foe, only on the unliving.

Summary

The School of Necromancy is a dark and disturbing avenue of arcane study for a very good reason. Constant exposure to necrotic power will slowly warp the mind and soul, just as it does to those a necromancer directs it against.

There is good to be found within the necromancer's art, but I reserve this notion primarily for its place amidst Mystra's Weave and most certainly not for those who abuse its powers at the expense, and lives, of others. As always, the intentions of the arcanist using it is of paramount importance, and when channelled with responsibility and poise, necromancy can prove to be the boon of good just as much as it is often the bane of it.

Students interested in pursuing the arts of necromancy would do well to consider the local clergy and laws of their area, and exercise maximum dilligence and restraint as accords with Mystra's dogma of faith. Failure to do so will only result in an ever darkening path which can only result in one becoming the target of the templars of Lathander, Selune and other deities whose champions struggle against all which is unnatural and unholy.

The School of Transmutation: Introduction

One of the famous fables of our day talks about a prince who was viciously cursed by a cruel witch and transformed into a frog, locked in that form until he received his true-love's kiss, a difficult quest indeed for a slimy-skinned amphibian. Yet such stories reveal a deeper truth that reflects the essence of the School of Transmutation: the alteration, either permanent or temporary, of a creature, object or thing with the qualities or form of something else.

Transmutations form a great variety of different effects which I shall classify three-fold. The first are attributions, or the transmutation of a subject's qualities but leaving its form unchanged. The second are the more concrete and noticeable alterations, a manner of transmutation that actually creates physical, and sometimes even mental, change in the subject so affected. Lastly are the curses, a smaller subschool of transmutational study but one that deserves a special mention on its own.

Attributions

This first kind of transmutational magic are those magical effects which cause a change in a subject that does not necessarily alter the subjects form or kind. Common attributive transmutations have taken the natural world as inspiration.

Spells such as Bull's Strength, Bear's Endurance and Cat's Grace have long been used by tribal shamans and mages alike to confer the physical attributes of their namesakes upon their subjects. These magics are very useful and popular amongst adventuring professions when condensed down into potion form for ease and universality of use. There is no way to tell someone is the recipient of this kind of magic except successfully divining its presence, either with magic or careful observation.

Other forms of attributive transmutations can be more or less subtle. A Haste spell is regarded as generally useful in all forms of adventuring and works by increasing the subject's natural speed, while Slow accomplishes the exact opposite upon the transmuter's foes.

Tenser's Transformation may, for all external appearances, make the caster look no different from before, but in fact converts the transmuter's physical prowess into a juggernaut of combative destruction. Such spells tend to be quite taxing upon the body and therefore have relatively short durations.

Alterations

While all magic of the School of Transmutation can effectively be called alteration, the intention behind this section of transmutational magic is to explain that aspect of the school which deals wholly with changing an object, creature or thing from one type into another, different type.

This particular transmutational art carries with it a great variety of potential effects, some positive, some dangerous and deadly. Starting with the positive aspects, a transmuter may utilise polymorph magics to wholly alter their race into something which is altogether different. It is important to note that such changes are actual; they are not illusionary glamers: the transmuter will actually participate in the intended change, whether it be a change of gender, size, race or type.

This fact obviously brings a degree of caution. A wizard may perceive that taking on a Gaseous Form will help them escape some dangerous situation in a dungeon, it will make them vunerable to the effects of a driving wind. Similarly, a transmuter who decides to take on the form of a troll in order to regenerate some grevious wounds may end up being accosted by a goodly knight or warrior who truly believes them to be the creature they have become.

Some alterations are far less obtrusive, of course, although no less noticeable. A Stoneskin spell will cause one's skin to harden and form a useful protective barrier against physical violence, but at the cost of one's external appearance, similar to the manner in which a Barkskin spell alters the texture and colour of skin and hair in exchange for its protective benefits. Such points must be balanced carefully when one intends to travel through civilised areas populated with the less-well-informed.

Alteration may also be used to effect changes in material types. One should never underestimate the capability of casting Rock to Mud upon a nefariously located rock outcropping that a horde of rapaging orcs happen to be crossing under, or of using Transmute Metal to Wood in order to render a warrior's iron tower shield useless, thus making him vunerable to attack from a waiting crossbowyer ambush.

Lastly, there are those select few transmutation spells that have nothing less than permanent, or even fatal, results. Flesh to Stone comes to mind here, although obviously the resulting statue can be reversed to its original form with the casting of the opposite transmutation Stone to Flesh.

Of more significant danger is the Disintegrate spell. Widely feared for its ability to turn any creature, living or unliving, into a pile of dust in an instant, it does actually have a few additional specialised applications in that a well-targeted Desintegrate can destroy a Bigby's hand spell, Wall of Force or other, similar effects. Individuals turned to dust by means of this spell can be wholly restored with a successful Resurrection, although as covered in my introduction to the School of Conjuration, such magic is prohibitively expensive and rare.

Curses

A field of transmutational magic which I consider to closely overlap with the attributive field, curses are one of the more decidedly malicious aspects of this school. It might be wondered why curses do not fall under the school of necromancy and the truth is that some do. The kinds of curses that fall under the School of Transmutation, however, are typically those with baleful results that physically alter the attributes or form of the subject so afflicted.

Transmutational curses typically have a specific nullification clause during their creation. In the example of the prince-turned-frog at the beginning of this book, he had the difficulty of acquiring a kiss to break the curse. Even if a nullification clause is unknown, most transmutational curses may be broken with an abjurative Remove Curse, although such magic is only effective if the abjurer is of greater skill than the transmuter who applied the curse.

I will touch briefly, at this point, upon cursed items. While not all such creations have their effects directly caused by the School of Transmutation, it remains that many do, in fact, apply or effect potentially horrible alterations upon the acquirer. A simple example is a Girdle of Alternate Gender which, once donned, will forcibly transform its wearer into the opposite sex. Other cursed items may age the wearer, cause vermin to appear and start biting the user, cause poison or in the most alarming and worst of cases, cause instantaneous death. The true nature of a cursed object can only be revealed with Identify or Analyse Dweomer divinations.

Summary

Transmuters enjoy a great variety of both beneficial and harmful effects at their disposal. Powers that alter one's physical capabilities are incredibly useful for improving the usefulness of one's allies, and a well timed Haste or Slow spell can turn the tide of a crucial battle, or a Fly spell may just give a crucial tactical advantage.

Alterations also have their uses in transmuting one kind of object into another, changing the immediate terrain or for altering one's form. Of course, some alterations are incredibly fatal, such as Desintegration, and mages that build up a reputation for using such magics may find themselves as equally under the ire of local authorities as those who conjure demons or create undead monstrosities.

Transmutation is, in the end, a highly adapable field of magic and a great many transmutation spells will find a permanent place in a mage's repertoire, whether they are a humble knave or a learned archmagus.

Series Introduction

Have you ever gazed upon the beauty of the heavens, stunned in awe of its splendour and brilliance? Have you felt the radiance of the sun, and watched the changes in the moon? Did you ever see images in the stars the longer you observed them, and began to wonder what their meaning could be?

This book hopes to answer such questions and more. It is my hope as an astrologer to help you, dear reader, understand what you see when you look up into the sky. Furthermore it is my joy, as a diviner, to help you understand not just what you see radiating light above you, but also what they mean to tell you about yourself, your life and your role in the cosmic balance.

The best place to start our journey amongst the stars is upon our backs, laying upon some soft grass or perhaps a blanket and staring up at the luminescent sky, both day and night.

The Sun

Of course, the first thing that will strike you is the most obvious one: the raging orb of intense, radiant heat that is our Sun.

Naturally, the Sun is closely aligned with the forces of purification and renewal. Fire burning hot in a forge will purify metals poured on top of it. So it is that the fires of the Sun, when in favourable alignment, indicate the process of purification or develpment to a higher state of being or strength.

Similarly, we know that when the Sun bestows its blissful rays of warmth upon the winter soils they begin to stir with life. Thus the sun indicates renewal and revitalisation both of life and energy.

Due to its supreme position in the heavenlies, the sun denotes leadership, regalty, governance, ambition and other associated concepts which carry the idea of majesty.

Element: Fire
Elemental Deity: Kossuth
Other Associated Deities: Lathander, Milil.

Significations: Improvement, purification, renewal, refreshment, leadership, governance, kingship, excellence, ambition, majesty.

Selune

The second brightest object in the heavens is most keenly visible at night, our dear moon Selune being trailed by her Tears, of which more and more become visible as the night progresses.

Selune herself waxes and wanes with her endless monthly cycles, and it is well established that Selune has a degree of control over the ebb and flow of the tides. Some arcanists even theorize a potential ebb and flow effect over the magic Weave as well, but this has never been decisively proven either way.

Selune's endless cycles show us processes of change affecting both us and our world. That these cycles repeat again and again also let us perceive a degree of retribution: actions have consequences to follow afterwards. The darkness of the new moon is soon followed by the brightness of the full, and then back again. Portents involving the position of Selune will often reveal an aspect of the following principle: one will reap what they sow in life.

Element: Water
Elemental Deity: Istishia
Other Associated Deities: Selune, Shaundakul.

Significations: Adaptation, flexibility, repetition, cycles, consequences, karma, fairness, recompense.

Anadia

While not the most obvious of night objects, the distinctive red twinkle of Anadia is discernable to most using only the naked eye. This planet is the closest to the sun, ancient astrologers say, and as such it burns with the raw intensity of the sun's radiance.

It is called Uluemyn by the elves and it is often associated with the untempered ferocity that is elemental fire. Consequently, many ancient civilizations equated the planet's portents with significant battles, warfare and destructive processes such as natural disasters.

Anadia represents in its purest form a warrior's relentless courage and martial prowess in the face of pain and injury. Struggle and adversity are essential aspects of life to him, but he has the determination to overcome them. Conversely, the rawest expression of Anadia is the unmerciful ruthlessness of battle to the death. This destructive side of Anadia displays possibilities of domination, despotism, competition, conquest and violent, mindless rage.

Element: Fire
Elemental Deity: Kossuth
Other Associated Deities: Garagos, Tempus, Tyr, Gruumsh, Solonor Thelandira.

Significations: Courage, survival, combat, battle, ruthlessness, cruelty, rage, manipulation of force or strength.

Coliar

Discernable by its occasional blue gleam, Coliar is called the "Philosopher's Star" by people in the far northern regions. It is called Luridel by the elves and has traditionally been associated with the powers of the mind. It is rumoured that this planet held great significance in the life of Alaundo the Seer.

Coliar's association with the elemental air carries with it notions of restlessness and freedom. In the same way that the wind can be neither constrained or controlled, portents signified by Coliar's position in the sky display a love of freedom and the wild openness of nature. It is also closely aligned with the darker side of freedom: stealth, trickery, lies and general resistance to order and structure in life.

Similarly, Coliar provides an impetus to original thought. The mind is free and creative, and just as the wind is ever restless in its circuits so too are the minds of those ever searching for new knowledge, insight and wisdom. Thought is far more complex than simple literalism, and perhaps that is why Alaundo's prophecies are considered to have originated, in part, from portents relating to the activity of Coliar in the night sky.

Element: Air
Elemental Deity: Akadi
Other Associated Deities: Azuth, Mystra, Gond, Oghma, Mask, Brandobaris, Erevan Ilesere.

Significations: Freedom, perseverence, travel, wilderness, trickery, illusion, deception, lawlessness, problem-solving, wisdom, philosophy, invention.

Karpri

Often mistaken for its larger cousin Coliar, Karpri in fact shines with a very faint green tinge mingled amidst its glowing blue. Coliar exceeds its brightness, however, and this fact is often the only discernable difference between the two planets.

Named Ochael by the elves, Karpri is traditionally associated with elemental water, especially the concept that water gives life to all things. This had been extended to encompass those aspects of life which unite all things together: beauty, maternity, love, nurture.

Just as the rains freely fall from the heavens and give their life-giving sustenance to the whole realm of Toril, Karpri's portents often signify the natural unity which exists between all of the variegated and conflicting forces jostling for their place in the realms.

Element: Water
Elemental Deity: Istishia
Other Associated Deities: Sune, Eldath, Sharess, Rillifane Rallathil

Significations: Beauty, love, life-force, passion, nurture, care, attachment, connectedness.

Chandos

Far dimmer and conspicuous than the other planets, Chandos' faint brown flicker is what sets it apart from the other celestial bodies which are seen to roam across the night sky.

The elves give Chandos the name Iaras in light of its connections with forces associated with the elemental earth. Astrological portents involving Chandos thus often relate to the qualities of earth: endurance, reliability, stability and changelessness.

In the same way that plethora of eyes have watched the mountains stand fast against the decay of time, Chandos upholds qualities somewhat in opposition to that of Coliar. Long-lasting order, structure and consistency are the portents of this planet.

Element: Earth
Elemental Deity: Grumbar
Other Associated Deities: Tyr, Dumathoin, Labelas Enoreth.

Significations: Order, lawkeeping, stability, endurance, reliability, defined limits, changelessness, devotion.

Conclusion to Volume I

We are now at the end of our introduction to the chiefest of the heavenly luminaries. The messages embedded within the passage of these heavenly bodies will take on additional meanings, as we shall see, when combined with the portents provided by the astrological constellations.

Given that there are twelve major constellations to just the six chief luminaries, I have decided to encapsulate their meanings in a new treatise. The next work will enlighten us to the positions and descriptions of the twelve constellations, as well as their own special astrological portents.

I expect a third volume to round out these lectures by means of practically applying astrological principles and caculations to determine daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly portents based on one's own birth starsign.

"To the stars the nations gazed,
Eager to unlock their secret signs,
The stars themselves, in no way fazed,
Whispered to mortals their unwritten lines."

In our first volume we dealt with the astrological significance of the motion of the Sun, Selune and the four planets. In this second volume we will cover the twelve constellations of the Torilian Zodiac.

The majority of predictions that utilise starsigns consider the relative positions of the other celestial bodies at the time of crafting the relevant portent. To simplify things slightly, the following description of the Zodiac signs pertains to when the Sun is passing through them. The relevant dates according to the Calendar of Harptos are listed alongside each entry.

The constellations roughly follow a 360 degree circular arc across the sky, starting in the due east, and may not be fully visible at some times of the year depending on one's location in Faerun. As with the first volume, the best place to begin our journey in the stars is upon our backs looking up at them.

The Sun's Signpost

This constellation is perhaps the easiest to recognize as it rests due east. One will notice that it has three lines of stars with clusters at each outward tip. The place the lines intersect is exact east.

The curious image of these linear clusters have given the constellation other distinctive names. It is known as the 'Arrows of the Gods' amongst various human civilizations, and the elves similarly call it Adarivael and hold it sacred to the elven deity of archery, Solonor Thelandira.

Associated Dates: 21st Ches until 20th Tarsakh.
Birthstone: Coral
Planetary Ruler: Anadia
Element: Fire
Elemental Deity: Kossuth
Associated Deities: Lathander

Significations: Athleticism, self-perfection, dawn, creativity, renewal, youth, good, nobility, strength, protection, passion, purification, cleansing, tempering, reason, innovation, danger, self-denial.

The Swordsman

Another ancient constellation, the Swordsman features prominently in many civilisations as the one who denotes heroism and battle.

The elves believe that this constellation is the exalted spirit of Auranamn, Corellon's devoted friend who perished in the ancient battle against Gruumsh. The reward for his sacrifice was to stand watch over the elven race for eternity.

Associated Dates: 21st Tarsakh until 21st Mirtul.
Birthstone: Chrysolite
Planetary Ruler: Chandos
Element: Earth
Elemental Deity: Grumbar
Associated Deities: Torm, Tyr, Helm, Tempus.

Significations: Loyalty, guardianship, champions, heroism, battle, combat prowess, freedom, honour, duty, obedience, alertness, judgement, lawfulness, justice, stability, endurance, perseverance, aiding the oppressed, protecting the weak and poor.

The Chamaeleon

Also known as The Gorgon in the north, one ancient northern story tells of a great battle long ago between Uthgar and a gorgon. Uthgar's victory ultimately provided the Uthgardt their homeland to settle in safety.

The name Chamaeleon comes from the fact that this constellation rests in the 'footsteps' of the Swordsman, but Swordsman never seems to notice he is there, waiting, watching, following.

Associated Dates: 22nd Mirtul until 21st Kythorn
Birthstone: Selenite
Planetary Ruler: Coliar
Element: Air
Elemental Deity: Akadi
Associated Deities: Mask, Brandobaris, Uthgar

Significations: Scheming, plotting, treachery, deception, darkness, stealth, disguise, secrets, espionage, larceny, lawlessness, intrigue, sophistry, subtlety, misdirection, manipulations, subterfuge, illusions, luck, halflings, risk-taking, adventure, travel, mischief, pranks, humour, sensual pleasure, hedonism, shamanism, hunting, dislike for arcane magic.

The Double Daggers

This array of two oppositely-aligned crescents of stars rests in the western night sky. In fact true west can be determined by plotting a course directly between the two curved 'blades'.

Associated Dates: 22nd Kythorn until 22nd Flamerule
Birthstone: Topaz
Planetary Ruler: Selune
Element: Water
Elemental Deity: Ishtishia
Associated Deities: Shar, Helm, Auril

Significations: Darkness, secrets, hiding and hidden things, lingering injury, bitterness, revenge, hopelessness, nihilism, subterfuge, erosion, undoing, destruction, undeath, seafaring, storms, cold & frost, punishment, unfairness, vigilance, planning, keeping one's word.

The Lion

This animal-shaped constellation is known by many names: the Lion, the Leopard, the Wolf, the Jackal, depending on the civilisation.

Associated Dates: 23rd Flamerule until 22nd Eleasias.
Birthstone: Diamond
Planetary Ruler: Sun
Element: Fire
Elemental Deity: Kossuth
Associated Deities: Nobanion, Siamorphe.

Significations: Leadership, honour, nobility, noble behaviour, beneificence, lawfulness, sociability, order, self sacrifice, responsibility, resource management, fairness, cooperation, compassion, harmony, tolerance, bards, knowledge, genealogies, lineage & titles, service, role-model, excellence.

The Jester

Highharvestide is when the Jester is the most apparent, both by means of its bright gleam in the sky and in the general frivolity associated with its sign.

Associated Dates: 23rd Eleasias until 22nd Eleint.
Birthstone: Carnelian
Planetary Ruler: Chandos
Element: Earth
Elemental Deity: Grumbar
Associated Deities: Lliira, Sharess, Eilistraee, Shiallia.

Significations: Joy, mirth, fun, revelry, free spirit, carefree, freedom, bards, dance, song, poetry, entertainment, festivals, hedonism, romance, procreation, fertility, weddings, celebration, pleasure-seeking, sensual fulfillment, flirting, distractable, decadence, beauty, kindness, harmony, protecting the weak, stability, eternity.

The Horn

A distinctive V formation of stars, the earliest civilisations associated this constellation with fertility, wealth and fortune.

Associated Dates: 24th Eleint until 23rd Marpenoth.
Birthstone: Amethyst
Planetary Ruler: Coliar
Element: Air
Elemental Deity: Akadi
Associated Deities: Chauntea, Tymora, Waukeen, Sune, Eldath

Significations: Abundance, bounty, fortune, wealth, fertility, cultivation, growth, nurture, broodiness, harvesting, plant-life, food, feasting, harvest festivals, providence, trade, merchants, flexibility, extravagance.

The Serpent

This is a winding string of stars that has long been associated with its namesake. The oldest known story is that of a malevolent serpent named Maerilzoun, who would descend upon the world at the end of the age and consume everything in his path.

Associated Dates: 24th Marpenoth until 22nd Uktar.
Birthstone: Emerald
Planetary Ruler: Karpri
Element: Water
Elemental Deity: Istishia
Associated Deities: Tiamat, Garagos, Talos, Hoar, Malar, Beshaba , Talona, Loviatar, Gargauth.

Significations: Domination, control, tyranny, greed, selfishness, hoarding, war, fury, bloodlust, destruction, orcs, inciting terror, barbarians, trickery, storms, murder, subversion, rebellion, corruption, bitterness, sadism, misfortune, disasters, poison, pain, disease, torture, torment, despair, depravity.

The Archer

Standing opposite the Swordsman in the night sky, the Archer is viewed as a companion of the Swordsman, whom he watches with endless attention.

Associated Dates: 23rd Uktar until 21st Nightal.
Birthstone: Opal
Planetary Ruler: Sun
Element: Fire
Elemental Deity: Kossuth
Associated Deities: Mielikki, Gwaerom Windstrom.

Significations: Focus, precision, balance, concentration, tracking, hunting, stalking, rangers, druids, forests, harmony with nature, monster slaying, action, goodness, discreet heroism, leading by example.

Velessea

Known as Angharradh amongst the elves, this feminine-shaped constellation is named Velessea after the story of a powerful and good witch who spent her life fighting goblin-kin and aiding travellers who had fallen prey to their raids.

Associated Dates: 22nd Nightal until 20th of Hammer.
Birthstone: Jasper
Planetary Ruler: Chandos
Element: Earth
Elemental Deity: Grumbar
Associated Deities: Ilmater, Shaundakul.

Significations: Defense, repulsion of enemies, unification with allies, protecting the vunerable, withstanding evil and tyranny, perseverence, perpetuity, exploration, knowledge of geography, cartography.

The Wizard's March

The three bright stars of this constellation also have their own names: Ulazimir, Iziaslau and Rahnieda. According to legend they were three powerful magi who roamed the eastern regions of Faerun, dispensing their wisdom and knowledge to all who would seek it of them.

Associated Dates: 21 Hammer until 19 Alturiak.
Birthstone: Jetstone
Planetary Ruler: Coliar
Element: Air
Elemental Deity: Akadi
Associated Deities: Mystra, Azuth, Savras, Deneir, Oghma, Gond.

Significations: Arcane magic, wisdom, knowledge, lore, counsel, sages, wizards, philosophy, reason, analysis, study, meditation, inner calm, divination, truth-seeking, discernment, humility, responsibility, discipline, restraint, ingenuity, problem-solving, runes, symbols, glyphs, literacy, critical thought, travel, invention, spontaneity.

The Triton

This constellation is so called because it depicts a seated individual raising a trident into the air with one hand. The elves relate it to Sashelas, the god of the sea elves, nd include the two bright stars just to the left as representing Sashelas' two loyal dolphin companions Tilvadar and Tambaun.

Associated Dates: 20th of Alturiak until the 20th of Ches.
Birthstone: Crystal
Planetary Ruler: Karpri
Element: Water
Elemental Deity: Istishia
Associated Deities: Umberlee, Valkur

Significations: Risk-taking, escaping danger, managing unpredictability, meeting challenges, capriciousness, volatility, seafaring, storms, trials, troubles, respect for divine forces or nature.

The next volume will explore how to survey the sky and interpret the messages given by the whole heavenly host.

This third work I expected to be the last in this series on astrology. However the breadth and depth of the content yet remaining means I am probably minded to expand the details over this and the following work. I am also minded to prepare an auxillary volume containing a glossary and various appendices to assist budding astrologers in creating their first portents.

The first two volumes of this series have uncovered the distinguishing characteristics of the heavenly host and the various significations and influences they tend to have in our daily lives. In the first work we explored the chief luminaries, so named because they are often the brightest objects in the sky: the sun, the moon and the four planets Anadia, Coliar, Karpri and Chandos. These six luminaries have regular patterns as they transit the sky, and Selune also has its monthly change from new to full and back again.

The second work explained the locations of the twelve constellations of the Zodiac. I would have preferred to have gone into more detailed explanation of these, but the Zodiac carries significant difficulties in that each culture has a different story behind many of the images in the night sky. For the sake of simplicity I have tried to incorporate as many similarities between the variety of cultural interpretations of the Zodiac as possible and integrate them into one fluid work.

The current enterprise aims to offer a basic introduction to the art of reading the position of the chief luminaries and determining subsequent portents based on the alignment and location of each of the heavenly bodies. I will endeavour to use as little astrological language as I can possibly muster. Where this fails, interested readers my feel free to consult the glossary in Volume V.

Locating the Chief Luminaries

The first step in crafting an astrological portent, whether it be for that day or perhaps a birthsign or other complex reading, is to identify the location of the six luminaries and the Zodiac signs in which they have fallen for that particular day.

As mentioned in Volume II, the Zodiac consists of 12 constellations which roughly follow a 360 degree circular arc across the night sky. Each constellation occupies one 30 degree segment, or sign, of the 360 degree whole.

The centre point of this circle rests at true north, which can be found by looking for the Brow Star. It rests within a non-zodiac constellation known as Mystra's Circle, or in other places the Crown of the North, a spectacular ring of stars with a vortex of black darkness in the midst of them all. The Brow Star is distinctively the brightest of these and never moves in the night sky; all other stars appear to revolve around it.

After identifying true north in this manner the next task is to identify true east, or the Sun's Signpost constellation. You may need to wait until dawn if you are not attuned to identifying its location without the aid of sunrise, but once you learn this the constellation will soon become distinctive enough in its own right.

This position marks the beginning of the Zodiac and hence the first place to start surveying the positions of the chief luminaries. The Sun's yearly cycle through the Zodiac is slow and divides the constellations roughtly into the twelve months of the Calendar of Harptos, starting in the Sun's Signpost on the 21st of Ches. The relevant dates for the Sun's progression through the Zodiac are listed in Volume II of this work.

The regular planetary and lunar cycles see them positioned within the 30 degree segments of each constellation at different times of the year. Selune obviously traverses them all every month in her regular 30 day cycle, the other planets are slowly, passing through the Zodiac three to eight times per year. The sun passes through each sign only once per year, being the slowest luminary of them all.

Selune's influence is also complicated by her related cycle of new to full moon. Some of these details I have relegated to my supplementary volume and the interested reader would do well to find more about it there in Appendix I.

This means that any given day will have a new and interesting position assigned to each of the chief luminaries amongst the constellations, although their cycles from year to year are regular enough that they can be plotted on an ephemeris chart far into the future, allowing predictive portents to be made about the days, months and years to come.

Determining Decans

One begins to formulate a daily portent by first recording the relevant positions of the chief luminaries in their respective Zodiac signs. Remember that each constellation occupies a 30 degree segment of the whole 360 degree night sky, centred on the Brow Star.

The chief luminaries will each occupy a place in one of those 12 segments. One may need to observe the entire night in order to locate one of the luminaries because they may not always be fully visible, especially in Midwinter when the sun lies lower on the horizon than in Midsummer. This will also be partially influenced by one's location on Faerun. Some constellations are difficult, if not impossible, to see if one lives further south than the Sea of Fallen Stars.

Once each luminary is located, use an astrologer's compass to note the exact degree it occupies in that 30 degree segment. An astologer's compass is a metal ring with a cross in the centre, divided into four quarters. Each quarter has three smaller divisions marked on the rim, and within each of these three markings are an additional three smaller segmentations.

Using it is as simple as aligning the centre of the cross to the Brow Star, then aligning the right crossbar to the Sun's Signpost. Use the white string attached to identify where each luminary rests for that day and record the degree.

Note that the twelve segments pertain to the twelve signs of the Zodiac, and the smaller segmentations pertain to what are called decans, or tenths. When recording the location of a luminary within a constellation, it is helpful to record which decan it is as well. This will be explained further below. Decans are simply named 1st, 2nd or 3rd decan (1-10, 11-20 and 21-30 degrees of a segment respectively).

Once you have ascertained all your positions you should have a reading something like the following example:

Sun in the First Decan of Sun's Signpost.
Selune in the Second Decan of Jester.
Anadia in the First Decan of Double Daggers.
Coliar in the Third Decan of Serpent.
Karpri in the Second Decan of Wizard's March.
Chandos in the First Decan of Archer.

This is the beginning of crafting a daily portent from those astrological positions. However, to unfortunately complicate matters, there is far more to a portent than the mere position of the luminaries alone.

Allowing for Alignments

Not only are daily readings determined by the position of the various luminary bodies in the sky but also the complex interrelationships between them. When drawn up on a circular chart the luminaries may appear in various alignments, or aspects, with each other.

The most significant of these are 60 degrees (sextile), 90 degrees (square), 120 degrees (trine), and 180 degrees (opposed). Sextile and trine aspects are always favourable, emphasising positive traits of the luminaries and signs they are in. Square and opposed are always unfavourable and emphasise negative traits.

When two luminaries occupy the same sign they are said to have converged. Selune and the Sun converge every month at new moon. In these instances, readings are determined by Zodiac rulership firstly. Certain signs are naturally affiliated with certain luminaries and hence their attributes overcome those of the convergence. Appendices II and III in Volume V detail these relationships.

If neither of the converged luminaries possess dominance by rulership it will be determined by luminary speed. A luminary which enters a sign where another is present already will in fact overtake it. This is known as application, and the applying planet dominates the slower one. However after the two have converged the slower planet becomes dominant as the faster one separates from it, thus losing its position of strength.

If we apply the above to our earlier example we would end up with the following enhanced reading.

Sun in the 1st Decan of Sun's Signpost
- Square to Anadia
- Sextile with Karpri
- Trine with Chandos

Waxing Gibbous Selune in the 2nd Decan of Jester
- Sextile with Anadia
- Sextile with Coliar
- Square to Chandos

Anadia in the 1st Decan of Double Daggers
- Trine with Coliar

Coliar in the 3rd Decan of Serpent
- Square to Karpri

Karpri in the 2nd Decan of Wizard's March
- Sextile with Chandos

Chandos in the 1st Decan of Archer.

Note that identical readings are not repeated. In the example above both the Sun and Selune were sextile with Anadia. Under Anadia's entry, though, both of these readings are omitted as they have already been described.

None of the luminaries were conjunct in a ruled sign, although Coliar is quickly approaching Chandos' position as it transits from Serpent to Archer. As soon as Coliar enters the Archer constellation it will be applying conjunct with Chandos and will gain dominance over it.

Conclusion

There is still much to understand about reading the stars and in the next volume I will futher develop the above example into a more definitive astrological portent. This has been the direction of our journey and this volume but a starting point for applying the basic principles of astrology.

I had expected my third volume to have been my last in this series on Torilian astrology. To my surprise, and perhaps my joy, my last volume left far too much hanging in the air. So in order to complete what the last volume left unfulfilled I present this fourth volume in this series on astrology.

Volume III put in to practice the raw knowledge gained from my first two works on this topic. With the information acquired from all these three it is my hope that my readers may begin to take their first steps in actually interpreting what the stars say for themselves. That is the purpose of this volume and we will begin where we concluded in Volume III by developing the meanings hidden in the alignments between the various luminaries.

Producing a Portent

If you remember my concluding pages in the previous work I had presented an example of a possible night time array from which I determined the relevant alignments between the signs and luminaries. I will briefly recount that example here.

Sun in the 1st Decan of Sun's Signpost.
- Square to Anadia
- Sextile with Karpri
- Trine with Chandos

Waxing Gibbous Selune in the 2nd Decan of Jester.
- Sextile with Anadia
- Sextile with Coliar
- Square to Chandos

Anadia in the 1st Decan of Double Daggers.
- Trine with Coliar

Coliar in the 3rd Decan of Serpent.
- Square to Karpri.

Karpri in the 2nd Decan of Wizard's March.
- Sextile with Chandos

Chandos in the 1st Decan of Archer.

Now that we are refreshed with this example let us try to interpret a few of these alignments and see what they mean. We will begin with the Sun. If you recall any of the details from my first volume, the Sun represents forces of renewal, purification, development, leadership and governance. When placed in the Sun's Signpost, these attributes are very influential in that this sign tends to the same emphases.

Now let us see what the other alignments do with the emphases above. The Sun is Square to Anadia here, which, if you remember from the previous work, will emphasise the negative aspects of these two luminaries. Anadia, in a negative capacity, represents ruthlessness, cruelty, rage and manipulation of strength. Sitting in Double Daggers as it is only multiplies this woe with influences such as injury, bitterness, revenge, destruction and undoing.

The Sun does rest positively with two other luminaries though. It is sextile with Karpri and trine with Chandos, emphasising positive aspects from both. In the former case, Karpri sits in Wizard's March. This is a very interesting position because Karpri's emphases of love, passion, nurture and connectedness does not tend to meld well with Wizard's March and its emphasis on free thought, restraint, problem solving, invention, wisdom, magic, reason and study. Chandos in the latter case, resting in Archer, exemplifies forces of order, reliability, focus, precision, action and example.

The various aspects related to the Sun therefore describe to us an individual who is passionately critical in their appraisal of the world, reliable, precise and focused. However this reliability and focus can just as equally be applied to the forces of good, personal development and thoughtful self-reformation as they could be to ably plotted murder, strife, and injustice. There are temptations to be motivated by revenge, and such a path will be relentlessly followed without waivering.

A Second Example

In order to reinforce the above principles, let us try our hand at one more portent. This time we will use the position of Selune on the example chart to make a reading. The first thing to note pertaining to portents involving Selune are its current phase. In our example above, Selune is very nearly opposed to the Sun. This indicates it is in the Waxing Gibbous stage, a time in which obstacles must be overcome. This will be a key element in interpreting the other alignments Selune has in our reading.

Our example places Selune within the 2nd decan of Jester, a position which tends to emphasise the cyclic and repetitive nature of festivities, frivolity and other sources of happiness. Seasonal celebrations come to mind especially here, especially those honoured across Faerun by the majority of cultures and races.

Now our first two alignments are positive ones. Selune rests in a sextile aspect with both Anadia to the left and Coliar to the right. The first emphasises the positive qualities that exist beween Selune and Anadia, in this case Anadia's positive qualities of courage and survival. Coliar''s influence on Selune emphasises traits of freedom, perseverence and travelling, as well as intellectual capacity.

Chandos, however, rests at a negatively aligned square position with Selune. Chandos' normally stable and reliable nature is thus underminded by Selune's negative traits of vindictiveness and retribution.

In sum, our second reading speaks of one who pays zealous attention to festivities, year in year out. They themselves love the joyfulness of festivity to such a degree that they are courageous enough to brave the unknown and travel from town to town, eager to experience new forms of joy in different places and from different cultures. They will have a knack for pulling through difficulty, although they will have a hard time finding stability in their life. Hardships, especially in regard to failed relationships, may give way to vindictive behaviours which seek to right all kinds of perceived wrongs against them.

Birthcharts

In a way of conclusion, I would just like to touch briefly on the concept of Birthcharts. These are a fascinating area of astrological study and require much preparation and research to accomplish well. Every person is born at a unique time and under a unique arrangement of the heavenly host. It is said that the arrangement of the stars at one's birth does much to plot that person's potential course in life, and that is what makes them so enthralling to draw up.

Caculating an accurate chart must begin with accurate details about the subject's place, date, time and year of birth. Of these four factors, the most important are place, date and year. Without knowing the exact day and year of birth it is impossible to look up the relevant celestial alignments using an ephemeris, which is a historical account of the positions of the heavenly luminaries on a given date. Knowing the place of birth is useful insofar as some celestial bodies are not visible in the sky at certain times of the year in certain locations in Faerun.

Calculating the planetary aspects are as simple as what we have already learnt, saving that they must be looked up from the historical record in a suitable ephemeris. Once these are obtained for the day and year in question, one may then plot their respective locations upon a chart and from here calculate the various positive and negative alignments.

After this is done, one interprets the chart similar to crafting a daily portent, but the readings obtained from this process pertain to personal tendencies and habits for the whole of the subject's lifetime. You will be surprised how often these birthchart predictions portray the gist of one's whole life, although these are not set in stone, so to speak.

Every person still remains free to listen to what the stars say, or else forge their own path in the Realms making of it what they may. Yet they remain as a useful guide and with a little practice and imagination, even you, dear reader, will be looking at the skies to see what they stars say to you today.

This last volume exists only to supplement the previous four. Within the interested reader will find a useful glossary of common astrological terms, as well as several helpful appendices to assist students of astrology in making correct interpretations of the celestial data.

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this Introduction to Torilian Astrology as much as I hope you have enjoyed reading it. Let us all now turn our attention to the stars and listen to what they have to whisper to us.

*the following line is written in the Espruar Elven script*

In honour of my mother, blessed servant of Sehanine, who taught me to love and read the stars from my youth.

Glossary of Common Astrological Terms

Alignment - Luminaries are considered to be in alignment when they exist within 60, 90, 120 or 180 degrees of another luminary, centred on the Brow Star. See also, aspect.

Applying - When a faster luminary approaches alignment with a slower one. Applying luminaries exhibit a stronger alignments and thus their qualities will overrule those of the slower luminary. See Appendix IV.

Aspect - The particular angular distances between luminaries measured in degrees. A luminary may only have aspects with other luminaries it can 'see'. Every luminary emits seven rays of vision: 60, 90 and 120 degrees to the left, 180 degrees immediately in front, and 120, 90 and 60 degrees to the right.

Conjunction - When luminaries traverse within the same decan of a sign. Selune is always conjunct with the Sun at New Moon.

Decan - 10 degree segmentations within a 30 degree sign. Luminaries are in alignment only when their respective decans and angles match. See Appendix V.

Disseminating - The period when Selune's solar illumination begins to decrease. See Appendix I.

Ephemeris - A detailed record of past, present and future alignments. Essential for producing a birth chart or predictive portents.

Luminary - Any one of the major light-bringing objects in the heavens: The Sun, Selune, Anadia, Coliar, Karpri and Chandos. See Volume I for more information on the respective luminaries.

Opposed - When two luminaries exist in opposite, or 180 degree, alignment. As with the square alignment, opposites are very unfavourable and emphasise negative qualities. Selune is opposite the Sun at Full Moon.

Retrograde - The apparent reverse movement of a luminary in a sign. This emphasises opposite qualities. The Sun and Selune are never retrograde.

Ruler - Each of the respective signs has a luminary with which it has a natural affinity. Such luminaries are said to 'rule' those signs when they are passing through them and thus have a strong influence over all their aspects while transiting their ruled sign. See Appendices II and III.

Separating - When a faster luminary leaves an exact alignment with a slower one. Separating luminaries exhibit weakening influences and thus the slower luminary's qualities will be emphasised. See Appendix IV.

Sextile - When two luminaries exist in an alignment of 60 degrees. This alignment is very favourable and emphasises the positive qualities of each luminary in their signs.

Sign - Each of the twelve 30 degree segments of the 360 degree Zodiac, which also happen to correspond with 12 major constellations. See Volume II of this work for more information.

Square - When two luminaries align in different signs at 90 degrees. Square aspects are strongly unfavourable alignments and emphasise negative qualities. Selune is square to the Sun at half moon, whether waxing or waning.

Trine - When two luminaries exist in signs at 120 degrees. Trine aspects are very favourable an emphasis positive qualities of the respective luminaries.

Appendix I: Phases of Selune

1. New Moon - The dark phase at the beginning of the lunar month when the Sun and Selune are in conjunction. It is a time for planning and formulation.

2. Crescent - The waxing phase of Selune between new moon and first quarter. It is a time for setting plans into motion.

3. First Quarter - The phase when Selune is half dark and half bright, but the brightness is increasing. It is a time for focused, forceful activity. Selune is square to the Sun in this phase.

4. Waxing Gibbous - The phase between first quarter and full moon when more than half of Selune's surface is illumined. It is a time for overcoming obstacles.

5. Full Moon - The phase when Selune is completely illumined. It is the time of fulfilment, when one's plans either succeed or fail. Selune is opposing the Sun in this phase.

6. Waning Gibbous - Otherwise known as Disseminating Selune, this phase is when Selune's surface is still more than half illumined but that illumination is slowly decreasing. It is a time for fruit to bear, proverbially speaking, and for participating with others. It is also a time for discarding failed plans and beginning to plan new ones.

7. Last Quarter - The phase when Selune is again half bright and half dark, but the darkness is increasing upon the surface. It is a time to move beyond the past and begin working in earnest on new things. Selune is square to the Sun in this phase.

8. Dark Crescent - This is the final phase of Selune before it returns to the New Moon. Selune has only a sliver of illumination during this phase before it is finally wholly enveloped in darkness. It is thus a time of completion and self-examination, but also earnest preparation for what is about to come into new light.

Appendix II: Zodiac Rulership by Luminary

Sun: Lion, Archer.
Selune: Double Daggers.
Anadia: Sun's Signpost.
Coliar: Chamaeleon, Horn, Wizard's March.
Karpri: Serpent, Triton.
Chandos: Swordsman, Jester, Velessea.

Appendix III: Zodiac Rulership by Sign

Sun's Signpost: Anadia
Swordsman: Chandos
Chamaeleon: Coliar
Double Daggers: Selune
Lion: Sun
Jester: Chandos
Horn: Coliar
Serpent: Karpri
Archer: Sun
Velessea: Chandos
Wizard's March: Coliar
Triton: Karpri

Appendix IV: Luminary Application and Separation.

Luminaries higher in the following list will always apply and separate those below them. Keep this in mind when calculating aspects.

1. Selune
2. Anadia
3. Karpri
4. Coliar
5. Chandos
6. The Sun

Appendix V: Sign Aspects

Below is a list of all the various major aspects by sign. A luminary which rests in the sign listed in the first colum will likewise have an aspect with any luminary traversing the signs of the second column. All signs will have two sextiles, squares and trines (one to the right and one to the left respectively) and only one opposite.

Sun's Signpost - Sextile: Chamaeleon, Wizard's March; Square: Double Daggers, Velessea; Trine: Lion, Archer; Opposed: Horn.

Swordsman - Sextile: Double Daggers, Triton; Square: Lion, Wizard's March; Trine: Jester, Velessea; Opposed: Serpent.

Chamaeleon - Sextile: Lion, Sun's Signpost; Square: Jester, Triton; Trine: Horn, Wizard's March; Opposed: Archer.

Double Daggers - Sextile: Jester, Swordsman; Square: Horn, Sun's Signpost; Trine: Serpent, Triton; Opposed: Velessea.

Lion - Sextile: Horn, Chamaeleon; Square: Serpent, Swordsman; Trine: Archer, Sun's Signpost; Opposed: Wizard's March.

Jester - Sextile: Serpent, Double Daggers; Square: Archer, Chamaeleon; Trine: Velessea, Swordsman; Opposed: Triton.

Horn - Sextile: Archer, Lion; Square: Velessea, Double Daggers; Trine: Wizard's March, Chamaeleon; Opposed: Sun's Signpost.

Serpent - Sextile: Velessea, Jester; Square: Wizard's March, Lion; Trine: Triton, Double Daggers; Opposed: Swordsman.

Archer - Sextile: Wizard's March, Horn; Square: Triton, Jester; Trine: Lion, Sun's Signpost; Opposed: Chamaeleon.

Velessea - Sextile: Triton, Serpent; Square: Sun's Signpost, Horn; Trine: Swordsman, Jester; Opposed: Double Daggers.

Wizard's March - Sextile: Sun's Signpost, Archer; Square: Swordsman, Serpent; Trine: Chamaeleon, Horn; Opposed: Lion.

Triton - Sextile: Swordsman, Velessea; Square: Chamaeleon, Archer; Trine: Double Daggers, Serpent; Opposed: Jester.

Narrator: Once upon a time in a dark, distant forest, two twin witches lived in a dark old house with a dark, old cauldron that always bubbled, bubbled, bubbled with a dark, old potion.

Red Witch: “Three toes of newt, four camel eyelashes and a spoon of quicksilver!” says the red witch as she throws the objects into the bubbling cauldron.

Blue Witch: “A spoon of quicksilver? Do you not know it is poisonous, sister?” *she gives the red witch a surprised look*

“Not when I add a trickle of treacle and a dash of eyelash!” the red witch replies with an evil grin.

“Well trust is a must, will you taste or just fuss?” *she gives the red witch a challenging look with an eviller grin*

“Why, I am proud of my mix, or do you think I play tricks?” she replies with a boastful glare.

“Try, by all means, your delectable brew it seems.” *she snorts, with clear disbelief and gestures at the cauldron*

So the Red Witch added the ingredients to the bubbling cauldron, chanted the magic phrase, took the ladle to her mouth and sipped...

“Bubble bubble, cauldron of trouble! Ah, like fine wine while one did dine!” she remarks while waving her hands around.

[Drink Potion: Barkskin]

“Sister, a misadventure? Your hair is not quite there!” *her eyes widen and she then holds back a laugh as she points at Aeili's hair*

“Like leaves of a vine! This hair is not mine!” she replies with a frown and a pout!

“A dollop of scallop, and the effect shall gallop.” *she nods, as if she can fix this*

“You gave me a jinx! It’s still poison, methinks.” she replies with a dubious expression.

“Really? You doubt my alchemical clout?” *she rolls her eyes, as clearly she must be the better witch*

So the blue witch added the slimy, grimy scallop to the bubbling cauldron, chanted the magic phrase, took the ladle to her mouth and sipped...

“Bubble bubble, cauldron of trouble! Like the sound of a round, ground pound of hound!” *she exclaims and swallows the brew*

[Drink Potion: Enlarge Person]

“Oh my, so high! Will you sprout wings, and fly?” she remarks amidst cackles of laughter!

“The dread to my head! Oh, to lay down on my bed!” *she looks down at herself and then looks dizzy, lying down on the floor*

“Sister, your height will cause fright! Oh the pangs of delight!” she says, continuing to laugh exuberantly the blue witch's misfortune!

“Oh no, the woe! I sink below. . .” *she moans, not appearing to feel too well!*

“Quick, the tongue of an adder! This will make me no madder.” she boasts and waves her arms around as if -she- knows what she is doing.

So the red witch added the split snake tongue to the bubbling cauldron, chanted the magic phrase, took the ladle to her mouth and sipped. . .

“Bubble bubble, cauldron of trouble! Like a dance with no pants, enhance!” she chants and incants a spell.

[Drink Potion: Reduce Person]

“Ha, with a snort! Look at how short you are caught!” *she grins, jumping up and looks happy at how the brew now backfired on her witch-sister*

“By the gods! Two more sods from swampy bogs!” she retorts in horror, looking herself over very carefully.

“Sods of swampy bogs? Do you mean frogs, or logs?” *she looks at the red witch and then cackles*

“It matters not! It’s just a blot! Give what you’ve got!” she replies angrily, clearly not impressed with her sister's suggestion.

“Within time this will be mine! Just add lime and all will shine!” *she sounds confident that she knows exactly what this witch brew needs *

So the blue witch added the fine lime to the bubbling cauldron, chanted the magic phrase, took the ladle to her mouth and sipped. . .

“Bubble bubble, cauldron of trouble! I said no red or I’ll be dead!” *she exclaims and then swallows the witch brew*

[Drink Potion: Elemental Shield]

“Ha, and look! The flame came all the same!” she cackles once more ias the blue witch erupts in a burst of fire!

“A bee’s knees, if you please! This has quite become a tease!” *she jumps back, looking a little frightened for a moment before collecting herself*

“No more the bore, sister, if I add four?” she taunts her with a malicious grin upon her face.

“Yes yes, for the best. Another test for the rest.” *she nods several times; this obviously requires a large amount of bee knees*

So the red witch added the four wee knees of the bees to the bubbling cauldron, chanted the magic phrase, took the ladle to her mouth and sipped. . .

“Bubble bubble, cauldron of trouble! No more glow, its not a show!” the red witch cries out, lifting her hands to incant another devious spell!

[Drink Potion: Lesser Visage of the Deity]

“Ahhh! The light! It’s so bright! Why do you fight?” *she raises an arm up, to shield her eyes from the brightness Aeili emits*

“A gnome’s nose and a rose! That’s how it goes. . .” she replies in self-inflicted horror.

“Three ears of deers and a couple of beers? Will this not quell our fears?” *in a tone that suggests that it usually works!

“Sister, you are mean! Do it since you’re so keen!” she scoffs at her suggestion, placing her hands on her hips and looking unimpressed.

So the blue witch added the deers’ ears and beers to the bubbling cauldron, chanted the magic phrase, took the ladle to her mouth and sipped. . .

“Bubble bubble, cauldron of trouble! The last is past, what a farce!” *she seems self-certain and she swallows the brew, what could possibly go wrong?*

[Drink Potion: Shapechange - Frost Giant]

“How gross, more than most! Uglier than I could boast!” she gloats with glee, mocking her sister!

“Oh the sight, filled with might! What a ghastly fright!” *show looks down at herself, surprised, clearly this was not how it was supposed to go*

“A touch of moss, just a toss. Mayhap enough to relieve your loss?” the red witch suggests in a snyde, taunting manner.

“Fine fine, I will not whine. This surely is the final sign.” *she looks at the brew, as if surely things cannot get any worse...*

So the red witch added the meagre moss to the bubbling cauldron, chanted the magic phrase, took the ladle to her mouth and sipped. . .

“Bubble bubble, cauldron of trouble! All is done, now for the fun!” she declares proudly with a wave of her hand and a flash of magic!

[Drink Potion: Shapechange – Fire Giant]

“Oh ho, the rage! What a mage! Now who will ascend the stage?” *a wicked grin spreads on the frost giant's lips as she regards her witch-sister*

"Curse this brew, too! Forever am I stuck with you!" she remarks with extreme disappointment and a final dark brooding glare at her accomplice in witchery.

And so the two, twin witches lived the rest of their lives as giants in the dark old forest, in their dark old house, never again able to brew their bubbling, bubbling, bubbling, dark old potion.

♦ Petitioners who seek library access must have a specific subject to research. Idle browsing of the library is not permitted.

♦ Access is only granted for the duration of the approved research project. Once the project concludes, admittance must be obtained again in order to research a different topic.

♦ Guests of the library will be escorted at all times by an Avowed of Candlekeep. All visits to the archives will be documented.

♦ Guests of the library are not permitted to take notes or possess any writing implements while within the archives. All needed notations will be scribed by a member of Candlekeep.

♦ Rude, disrespectful, or law-breaking behavior will result in the immediate and permanent revocation of access.
Method One: Submission of an Original Work

• An 'original work' is a tome authored by either the person who seeks access to the library or a designated proxy. A submission must meet a minimum length requirement and adhere to the spelling and grammar guidelines of the language in which it is written. Any language is permissible as long as it can be verified and translated by an Avowed of Candlekeep.

• Acceptable submissions include, but are not limited to: a detailed description of the events surrounding proposed research; historical accounts; interviews of notable figures. A visit with the Guide of Candlekeep is required before any submissions are accepted.

• Up to a tenday may be required before library access is granted so that the submission can be read, verified, and properly catalogued.

OOC Notes:

• use of the IG book system is strongly encouraged but not required
• the minimum length requirement is around 750 words, which is approximately six full IG book pages or two Word Document pages
• write in English only; denote any IG languages in [brackets] and provide translations if known

Method Two: Donation of a Rare Book

• A 'rare book' is defined as one that is not already a part of the library. In certain situations, a better copy of book that is already in the archives may be accepted. A visit with the Guide of Candlekeep is required before any donations are accepted.

• Up to a tenday may be required before library access is granted so that the submission can be read, verified, and properly catalogued.

OOC Notes:

• only DM-granted books qualify
• name of DM must be listed upon book

Method Three: Monetary Donation

• The minimum donation amount is one-hundred bags. A visit with the Guide of Candlekeep is required before any donations are accepted.

• Up to a tenday may be required before library access is granted so that the funds can be verified.

Preface

Distant, untouchable and altogether mysterious: such adjectives are fitting epithets for the heavenly host that twinkle their eternal astral greetings night by night. Worshiped as gods in some parts and feared for their sudden and inexplicable omens, the stars have provided a source of inspiration for nations and peoples, sought out by astrologers and stargazers with the secret hope of uncovering their mysterious, silent voices that cry out in their umbral surrounds.

Is it possible, I once asked myself, that the stars actually conceal untapped power? Could be be that their daily realignment and interrelationship can actually be beckoned with the forces of magic, and the faintest portion of their power taken from them and repurposed for mortal use? It was an intriguing question that first caught my attention while I was attending Evereska's arcane observatory and from that day I have set myself to discerning whether there is indeed far more laying behind the mysteries of the starry host.

This present work represents the culmination of that humble journey, one of the many stones upon which I've stepped while daring to cross the fast-flowing cataract which is life on the Sword Coast. If I were asked why it took nigh on three decades for me to reach the conclusions I have in this work, my answer would be simple. I always thought, as a descendant of my people, the Tel'Quessir, that time would be little object to my quest for knowledge of the mysteries withheld above. I was wrong.

Mortality is a brutal reality, and it is only when one's end is presented to you that one realises how much more, perhaps, one may have done with their short years. I understand quite fully the fervour with which my human acquaintances pour themselves at their sundry tasks. That is not to say I have not been as an elf; quite the contrary in fact. It has never been any less of a goal of mine than to leave in my wake a humble, yet honourable, legacy, of which this work is my magnum opus. But had I known that this year had been the last my feet had remained upon the shores of continental Faerun, perhaps I had been more judicious in the expenditure of my time and personal resources, yet all the same I have no regrets whatsoever in what I have done.

Such a work would be incomplete, however, without an initial acknowledgement of its interpersonal contributors. While I may have grown more and more reclusive in my last months, there have been certain friends whose dogged determination to encourage me always ever onwards simply must be recorded ad memoriam.

Lady Neela Daren and Halbazzer Drin, as my fellow colleagues and associates in all things magical, there has never been a day when I have not recalled or resolved to find inspiration in your timely counsel, supply of spell components, and general friendliness. To my list of temple friends I must also add my sister in the faith, Great Reader Laitae La'freth, Hoppy Toadmeadow and the recently departed Priestess Telia Santraeger. Your combined enthusiasm and humilty in our common faith gives me much hope that Mystra's church is in good hands when such names are together adorned with the Eight-Pointed Star.

To the Guide of Candlekeep, Alexandra Keenan (as of the time of this writing), I must profess a measure of unpayable debt. You tolerated my spasmodic presence in your office, ofttimes at awkward hours, without complaint, graciously and tenderly asking advice of me as I equally endeavoured to acquire the same. Your firm but fair attitude will see you occupy an irreplaceable part on the roster of Candlekeep's Guides, if not actually surpassing the sensibility and diplomatic tact of one of Candlekeep's greatest, Valerius Rokranon.

To my dear friends and colleages in En Dharasha Everae and Doron Amar I should like to say the following. You have been by my side when I have been at my highest, and also when I have been at my very lowest. You tolerated my inconsistencies and my enigmatic nature, lifting my spirit to soar beyond the brooding clouds on the horizon. I will not forget any of you, even though I know my name will one day be forgotten amongst you.

Elyssa and Viridiana, you I mention specially by name simply because you accepted me as I am, despite what apparent cruelty and injustice Fate has put into my lap. I was dancing at the edge of the veil, held back only by your love and devotion to me as fellow kinsfolk. It seems only right to honour you with this work.

There are, of course, many more names I could add to these but I feel this preface is loquacious enough. To those who took the time to know me, bear with me and graciously receive what I had to offer, I am forever thankful.

Introduction

When I first arrived on the Sword Coast, the first thing that struck me was the decided lack of understanding of traditional astrology and the meaning of the stars. While I primarily sought to address this general deficiency by first publishing my five volume series on Torilian Astrology, which was further supplemented by my 'What the Stars Say' series in the Baldur's Gate Herald (while it was in circulation), I wondered if it were at all possible to make the intangible tangible, to draw on the powers of the stellar alignments and actually bestow that power upon a subject, that is, to use magic to bestow the Zodiac onto an individual.

The result of this exploration of astrology and magic is the sole focus of this work, whereby I will discuss the process of discovery that lead me to developing the only legacy I am content to share with the denizens of the Sword Coast before I take my permanent leave from it, a spell of my own devising: Aeili's Astrological Augment.

Theory and Development

When I commenced this project back during my early days on the continent, I was always struck by the varying and unique portents that astrology tends to produce. One of the core factors driving this infinitesimal possibility of astrological portents is that even though the stellar host undertakes regular, albeit sometimes lengthy, Zodiacal cycles, each individual in the world has an entirely unique starsign of their own, irregardless of their perception or understanding of it. That is to say that portents are as varied and endless in the possibilities because their recipients are as varied and endless in the stellar formations under which they were born, and under which they now live.

Thus, the first portion of development involved the creation of my very own cantrip, Discern Starsign. Obviously a spell reserved for astrological specialists, by uttering its divine phrasing and tossing a handful of fairy dust against a dark area, such as a lightless cave, cellar or room, an individual's starsign at birth is shown by means of an accumulating pattern of dust particles. Obviously it is up to the diviner to record and interpret the result using an ephemeris, but the cantrip's utility proves its usefulness when one encounters individuals for whom one would like to interpret astrological portents, but they are unaware of their own starsign.

Because of this rich and endless variety of options in the stars, just as in individuals, I surmised it would be possible to draw upon that apparent randomness, harness it, and then focus it at a specific instance in time, that is, the present. This part of the process was far more intensive, and I endeavoured to incorporate casting a variant of my Discern Starsign cantrip in the development of Astrological Augment.

By discerning the subjects own starsign, drawing upon the powers of the Zodiac could be far more concentrated and intensive, tailoring a specific portent for that specific individual for that specific day. This is the utility aspect of the spell as I intended it, insofar as the alignments in the stars change day to day, so too could the strengths and weaknesses drawn from the stars and planets by means of my intended Astrological Augment.

What I had to discover was how to most accurately harness the power of the signs at a specific time and place, and for a limited duration. It was at this point I recalled some of my recent experiments in crystallomancy. I had met a measure of success utilising quartz crystal to capture, analyse and restore fragmented sentience in those mentally damaged by psionic attack. Then it occurred to me that each Zodiac has its own innate birthstone, each different, each latent with its own powers when used in combination with astrological portents.

It seemed natural to me, then, to utilise these varied gemstones as natural spell foci to store the intended astrologial energy as magical energy, from which it could be paired with the subject by means of Discern Starsign. Experimentation over the last two years finally met with a measure of success when I understood that certain hand gestures, especially raising of the palms heavenward, stone in hand, increased the focus of arcane energy downwards to the centralised object.

This procedure proved true when repeated with each individual birthstone. However, I soon discovered that one need not hold their own Zodiac birthstone for the energy to be successfully imbued into it. It held true even when alternative stones were used, as it seemed they harnessed the available astrological portent, funnelled through its own peculiarities and then intermingled with the subjects birthsign, the result being a wholly random, yet intentional and unmistakably tangible, outcome on each occasion.

[Continued in Volume II]

Theory and Development, Continued

Impressed by my results, I reviewed the various formulae, verbal, somatic and material spell components to discern if there were some way to simplify the spell. Nothing I attempted worked as well as the original derivation, so I resolved to leave it as it was.

In terms of complexity, Astrological Augment requires the significant talents of a dedicated diviner or broader generalist to comprehend the sophisticated interrelationship I have forged between Mystra's Weave and the concealed secrets hidden in the stars. As such, it is not suitable for students of magic with capabilities below the forth circle.

Effects

Astrological Augment was developed to be a form of divine aid to the recipient, and thus has especially specific, albeit seemingly random, effects. It's magic will persist until an entire twenty four turns of an hourglass have elapsed, owing to the fact that the augment can only persist insofar as a specific reading and application of the celestial alignments persists. Given that such things change daily, Astrological Augment cannot be applied more than once to the same subject each day, but casting it upon different subjects is guaranteed to have different results.

More specifically, Astrological Augment will enact a variety of possible effects upon a subject, both benign and malignant. Possibilities drawn from various portents include increasing (or decreasing) their physical or mental aptitude, natural, acquired or inspired skills, talent, professions or combat prowess, ability (or inability) to interact socially, and potential reactivity to further magical or environmental effects.

Precisely what will be bestowed upon a person is impossible to discern without conducting a separate and time-consuming birthsign portent, and even then it can only be used as a general guide. The magic will operate independently of alignments or magical concealments such as Non-Detection, since such things are superfluous to the influences of the celestial array, although the subject is always aware of precisely how their starsigns have been magically influenced by the casting of this spell.

Conclusions

My initial suspicions that the worlds of astrology and the arcane could be merged seem well founded, and given the outcomes of this particular avenue of magical analysis I would now go so far as to say that I am barely scratching the surface.

I was quite pleased that Discern Starsign could be thus modified and become the basis of a useful and tangible proof that the stars can be utilised to guide an individual's destiny. However, as with general portents, Fate unravels both the good and the ill with the passing of time. The two ebb and flow in a constant flux and quite seperately of one's individual whims, meaning that one is as likely to meet a beneficial portent as they are to uncover a maleficial one on any given day this spell is used.

It is my sincere hope and desire that Astrological Augment will find a niche role in guiding adventurers, seers, scholars, scribes and even ordinary folk in their day-to-day activities, and perhaps inspire a temple apprentice or even one of my students from Doron Amar or En Dharasha Everae to look deeper into the other secrets that I am certain the stars conceal from us to this very day.

Addendum - Spell Notes

Aeili's Astrological Augment

Caster Level(s): Wizard/Sorcerer 4, Magic 4
Innate Level: 4
School: Divination
Descriptor(s): N/A
Components: Verbal, Somatic, Focus
Range: Touch
Area of Effect / Target: Single
Duration: 24 hours
Save: Harmless
Spell Resistance: Yes

You divine the powers of the Faerunian Zodiac, imbuing the target with three of their qualities for the next 24 hours. The Zodiac qualities are chosen at random from the following list:

+1d3 Dodge AC
+1d3 Fortitude Saving Throws
+1d3 Reflex Saving Throws
+1d3 Will Saving Throws
+1d3 Universal Saving Throws
+1d3 Attack Bonus
+1d3 Divine Damage Bonus
+1d4 to three randomly selected skills
+3 to a randomly selected stat
-1d4 to three randomly selected skills
-1d3 to a randomly selected stat
-1d3 to Save vs. Spells

Astrological Augment requires the caster to be in possession of any one Zodiac birthstone, to be used as an arcane or divine spell focus.

This spell can only be cast once per 24 hour period on any target, as the stars must shift before the next day's effects can be applied.

You hold the Zodiac's birthstone in your hand and incant the spell's completion phrase, lifting your palm and the gemstone towards the stars. The gem begins to glow brightly, and whomever carries the gemstone with them will be imbued with the powers of the Zodiac for that day.

Angharradh and the Faerie Dragon

Garurtgix was a young Faerie Dragon living in the Feywild. One day his wings had become gray and dull, and not bright and colourful like others of his kin. A cruel red dragon called Sjachixen had once fooled him into believing it was because all the flowers had taken his colours. This made poor Garurtgix very sad because he used to love flowers.

"How can I get my colours back?" Garurtgix sadly asked.

"You must cut down a thousand flowers of each colour." Sjachixen replied with a cruel smirk.

And so Garurtgix started to cut down all the flowers he could find.

One day, he came upon Angharradh, the Queen of Arvandor, who was tending to her garden it was a great and beautiful garden of flowers of all the colours he could ever imagine, and had a small pond in the middle. Garurtgix, being angry with the flowers, told her that they had stolen all his colours and that he needed to cut them all down. Angharrad shook her head at his anger and told him to come down to the pond with her.

There, they looked into the relection of the pond, and indeed, Garurtgix had no colours. He then let out a sad sigh.

"You see?" he said sadly and looked back at Angharradh. "My colours are all gone. Sjachixen said the flowers took them and that i had to cut down a thousand of each coloured flower to get them back."

Angharrad smiled at him.

"No, dear. They are all there," she said and threw a bucket of water over him with a soft chuckle. "Sjachixen have just covered you in ashes, little one."

Garurtgix blinked and looked down at his reflection again. Now, his wings were yet again shining with bright colours. He then smiled and helped tending to Angharradh's flowers for the rest of his life.

Possibly the most powerful creatures on the prime, perhaps some of the most powerful beings among the planes apart from the deities themselvs, are the Dragons. They are mostly known for their long lives, vast treasures and breaths of powerful elemental force. Another feature of Dragons, is their innate ability to wield the weave.

Innate magical abilites isn't unheard of among the races of Toril. We can see it in the Genasi, for instance, inherited abilities from their respective elemental ancestors. Other planetouched creatures have inherited abilites as well, such as the Aasimar and Tieflings. Even among some of those native to the prime, we find innate magical abilites, such as in the Drow's ability to cast Faerie Fire.

Dragons have similar abilities that reflect their specific species. For instance, Blue Dragons – who mostly live in the desert – are able to magically create and destroy water even as wyrmlings. Gold Dragons, often considered the noblest of dragons and often resemble paladins in attitude, learn in young age to cast a Bless spell.

Differing from many other races, Dragons also innately develop spells of their own, much like we see in Sorcerers among other races. This has lead many sorcerers to conclude that they are descendants from dragons, a theory that might be true for some. As Dragons age, their magical abilities grow stronger even if they choose not to actively pursue a path of magic, and often become more powerful than many mages among other races. Some species of Dragons are even able to access spells most commonly associated with divine magic, like the Cure and Heal spells as part of their repertoire.

Despite their strong natural affinity to the Weave, they are limited to only a somewhat small amount of spells known, and often rely mostly on their natural strength and breath attacks whenever engaged in combat. This means that most dragons choose spells of utility, such as Dispel Magic and Scrying, rather than direct attack spells. And indeed for those species that can access such spells, the Cure and Heal spells are commonly learned.

A curious fact about Dragons' innate arcane abilities, which is another testament to their strong connection to the Weave and makes them rather different from mages of other races, is that they most often do not require spell components when they cast magics.

An Inquiry of Persons on the Coast
and Their Associations with the Drow.

Volume I.

Published in Hammer, Year of the Bow, 1354 DR.

Introduction

When I first committed myself to this project of discovering and unseating corruption in high places, I knew it would inevitably paint me, and those who supported me, as the villians. Truth tends to have that effect: it divides the world between those who will accept it, receive its wisdom and reform their ways, and those who hate it and want to keep their evil deeds concealed in the darkness beneath.

This could never be more applicable than investigating the relationships of individuals and their associations with that loathesome race whose name has struck fear into the innocent and helpless for far too long: the drow.

It is unfortunate that I am almost alone in this endeavour, but that does not surprise me. It is well said by my people, "Throw a rock into a pack of dogs. The one that yelps got hit." That my inquisition has been publically opposed by a variety of faiths and factions was to be expected, given the nature of its revelations and the significance of its implications.

I will, however, commend my brother at arms, Sir Anthem Arnemeiger, for being bold enough to proclaim words that needed to be said, even if they would not be heard. Had he gone about his rebuke of the Duchy of Baldur's Gate with some more tact, perhaps the ire of iniquity had not stared upon us so forcefully. But we will gladly bear this burden, as it is not for our sake that this investigation is made: it is for the good of the people of Baldur's Gate, and its security and its prosperity into the future that we seek to upturn its rotten underbelly and expose the filth for what it truly is.

Case One: Instigation - Part I

It may be well asked, "Why?" Is this matter really so severe that it merited a public warning from no less than two dissenting voices, amidst others who have thus far chosen to remain silent? I had not first thought so myself, had I not personally witnessed this corruption at hand with my own eyes and ears at the beginning. So it would be wise to start there.

It was the 8th of Eleint, 1353 DR, and I was performing a patrol from the Friendly Arm Inn south towards the Lion's Way. As I made the turn at the junction in order to head westwards for Candlekeep to resupply when I was ambushed by gnolls. Engaging them with sword and shield, a halfling by the name of Pokey McStab happened upon my encounter and rendered assistance by stabbing them in their mangy backs (appropriate to his name).

While I had been content to manage them alone, the encounter meandered into a conversation on the finer arts of military strategy when Pokey suddenly looked up and remarked of a figure walking down the road, "It's the drow lady." Now had it been spoken in shocked terror, as one might expect of an encounter with a black devil, the calm, the familiarity by which Pokey intoned his words struck me almost as much as the content themselves.

"Hi drow lady," he gave friendly greeting, whereas I choked out my perception of the truth I was supposedly hearing. "A drow?!" I replied, aghast, to which Pokey responded without hesitation, "Yes but don't go getting all worked up; let her live in peace." The next words from my lips were natural. "Surrender at once!" and I trained my loaded crossbow at her.

To my surprise, the black devil actually complied, lifting her palms in surrender and exclaiming, in the common tongue, "Don't shoot." At this point Pokey deliberately interjected and opposed my actions. "Why should she do that, she is committing no crime!" Again, my reply was natural. "Her existence is a crime!" To which he scoffed, "Ha, that attitude is too."

I advanced, crossbow remaining on target and commanded, "On your knees!" Again, to my surprise, she complied, although not without a protest that, "I'm not going to allow you to apprehend me." As I advanced upon the wretch, Pokey again remarked to me, "You got no chance. Once you move to go down there she will disappear into the shadows." I pressed forward, ignoring him.

Realising I would not be deterred from capturing my target, Pokey decided to go off and round up some of the local wildlife in order to cause a distraction. I rendered no assistance to the drow as she were attacked by the giant beetles he had brought with him. The drow was forced to fended them off with her bare hands, at which point Pokey exclaimed, "There is no law against being a drow, you know." I replied, keeping my crossbow trained on the drow as I moved in for the arrest, "And let's see what that does for your reputation, once it is known you are a drow collaborator."

He protested, saying, "I am not a drow collaborator; you did not even know she was drow, you foolish girl, till I told you." So how did he know? Did he not imply his familiarity by his manner of greeting, knowledge of the drow's martial and stealth capability, and not only his non-hostility at the encounter but outright interference in my attempt at making a peaceable arrest? I found it rather difficult to come to any other conclusion in the hot moment I had to decide my course. I replied thusly: "If you're not going to help, Pokey, I suggest to stop interfering."

It was at this point that things got complicated. An elf appeared from no-where, bow trained at the drow, and exclaimed, "Hey tunnel monkey!" The drow turned, sensing the inevitable, and exclaimed her final protest, "By the laws of the land- I am exempt whilst in the lands patrolled by Candlekeep!"

I, of course, and the elf, did not believe her, Candlekeep being approximately forty miles from our location and therefore well outside of their walls and thus any legal or political jurisdiction they may have claimed. Either the drow had been misinformed of her legal 'rights', or there are other damning questions to be asked of Candlekeep and its associates, but I will save that for a later volume.

I requested aid from the elf against the halfling's interference, saying, "Help me place her under arrest." He did not even glance at me when he replied, "I do not arrest dhaerow." I perceived what would happen, and it did happen. The elf gave the count of three, by which time the drow was to flee or perish. She waited until the third count before attempting to flee, and that was when the chase began.

I did my best to keep up with the elf as he chased the drow, firing arrows at her as she slid from cover to cover. We had travelled back to the junction of the Lion's and Coast Ways when the chase turned north, and there we encountered a paladin of the Order of the Radiant Heart, Kald Blake, making his way south. When the drow saw him, she immediately called for his aid, by name. "Kald, hand?" she asked frantically.

His replies only betrayed the knowledge he undoubtedly already had through his most certain prior association with this fiend: "I'd stay out of it; no, you should not be on the road! Leave!" It was too late, though, as the elf's blades finally cut her down when the drow accidentally bumped into me and thus revealed her location.

At this point the four of us, Kald, Pokey, the hitherto unnamed elf and myself got into an argument as to what should be done with her body. Pokey consistently and repetitively resisted and interfered in the attempts of the elf to claim the body and return the prized scalp to the Flaming Fist for a bounty.

It was at this point that Kald became negotiator, suggesting to Pokey, "If you want to recover her, do it in the city." An agreement was reached that Kald would take the body to Baldur's Gate so the unnamed elf could claim his bounty.

As the negotiations continued it was revealed by Kald that this drow was also a Sharran, and one with whom he had shared contact. He said, and I quote, "This one is different, but we're at a point where she may be aided by good gods or left dead." I naturally expressed my feelings on the matter. "Leave her dead." As we shall see in the next two volumes, this is clearly not what eventuated.

An Inquiry of Persons on the Coast
and Their Associations with the Drow.

Volume II.

Published in Hammer, Year of the Bow, 1354 DR.

Case One: Instigation - Part II

In my first volume I began where all such inquiries begin: an encounter with a drow and the various responses I witnessed thereto. I will now continue that account, the witness of which may be corroborated by one Aeric, Scribe of Oghma, as we arrived at Wyrm's Crossing, Baldur's Gate, and everything that began to compound after we arrived there.

Our journey from the Lion's Way to Wyrm's Crossing was uneventful; not even the usual gathering of ne'edowells at the Friendly Arm Inn opposed or challenged our passage, given the rather unique 'cargo'. However, things escalated once we arrived upon Baldurian soil.

Besides the gawkers and common folk who began to crowd around us to see the dead drow for themselves, while we waited for a Flaming Fist officer to meet us at Wyrm's Crossing a variety of adventurers began to assemble there. Two of the notable ones, one Exordius Vrass and one Jane Price, seemed to take some interest in the consignment I had dutifully protected and helped deliver.

"So you caught a drow?" Vrass asked us before pondering, "I wonder which one?" Jane remarked that "There is quite a crowd at my gate." I examined her for identifying markings, but she bore no official insignia or Fist heraldry, so I was only left to wonder what she may have meant. I asked them both to stand aside as this matter had nothing to do with them.

I was immediately quizzed by Jane concerning my identity, which I only replied, "Protector of this 'consignment'." She enquired as to the manner of the delivery, which was plain as Kald had borne the dead drow on his shoulders the entire way.

At that point the woman, Jane, began her own conversation with the unnamed elf, apparently being some kind of acquaintance. He told her while nodding towards the deceased, "Just doing the good work; here for my bounty." She asked him, "You have a dead drow? And want to bring it to the city?" She then added, as if she herself were the legal authority in this particular case, "There is no bounty on drow paid outside of Duchal lands."

"We're on Duchal lands and I've got a dhaerow," the elf replied. Jane then asked, "Was this drow found somewhere behind me?" The elf assured her not to worry about the matter.

Vrass took offense to this conversation and protested immediately, "Doing the good work... killing is not a good act. It may be necessary but it is not good." I remarked very simply what I perceived of his attitude: "Another moron." He then accused me, "Do not speak of goodness when you do not know what it is. It is foolish."

Sensing the same attitude in Vrass that I had sensed in Pokey earlier, I probed. "Yes, let's all be friends with accursed drow... how many collaborators does this region breed?" Jane concurred with my sentiment then, at least on face value. "Too many." Vrass' expression changed and he regarded the both of us dismissively from that point onwards.

"Look up the Tolerance is Treason proclamation. Dhaerow collaborators will be labelled as treasonists and enemies of the Gate," commented the unnamed elf. Vrass' reaction spoke words of his opinions. "I care not. I do not serve the Dukes; I serve nothing but my beliefs. Nothing more, nothing less."

Finally, a Flaming Fist officer arrived on the scene to enquire of our gathering on the southern shore of Wyrm's Crossing. After advising us to give the corpse to the dogs, a result I thought was a fitting end, the elf protested the suggestion. "I would, kiddo, but we're surrounded by dhaerow sympathisers. I'm doing things the right way. If I turn her over to you, you dispose of her properly away from all these treasonists."

"What, do I look like the undertaker?" the officer answered, but then Jane interjected. "I could?" The elf immediately refused her offer. "Not a chance," as if he knew something more behind what I thought may have been benign words, given her earlier comments in opposition to Vrass.

The elf attempted to clarify whether the Flaming Fist were still offering bounty on drow, and since when had such bounties ceased to be paid, soon becoming dismayed somewhat at the implication coming from Jane's next words: "Since you did not kill it on our land." I challenged Jane directly at that point, asking, "Our? Since when do you speak for the Fist, citizen?"

"Who is that one?" the officer then asked, cutting across all the discussion, although only one knew her actual identity, another inquiry in and of itself. Kald. "Israe'anna," he answered. "You don't say, Israe? Hellstorm crew... a bloody pirate," Jane immediately confirmed additional details. She clearly knew far more than she was letting on at the time. The officer thought carefully for a moment and carefully inspected the body before proclaiming, "Alright. Take it towards the Gate and we'll see about what can be collected."

We moved into the city as the crowds gathered and gawked, and the conversation around me continued to flow. Someone asked what we were doing, and where the drow was killed. Jane answered, saying, "Killed her on the Lion's Way." That was an interesting statement, because to that point none of us had mentioned where the battle took place, nor had we reckoned Jane amongst those eyewitnesses recorded in Volume I of this account.

The elf was immediately suspicious. "Who said that?" "The birds," she answered. "And this is who you want to give her to..." Kald chimed in then, his burden almost ready to be alleviated from his wearied shoulders. The unnamed elf reaffirmed the fact that he did not wish the deceased to be handed over to a potential drow sympathiser, Jane, whom then began to regale some story of how drow had tunnelled beneath Baldur's Gate and has spent personal effort sealing it off. The truth or falsehood of those claims are unknown to me, but irrelevant.

"I told you," the elf retorted, "don't want me killing your pet monsters. All I know is she's a Sharran dhaerow." That revelation caused an immediate stir. "A Sharran drow? What proof of that?" Jane asked. "From the mouth of a paladin," the elf answered. "Which paladin?" The elf then thumbed at Kald.

By that time we had traversed the city and arrived at the Flaming Fist Compound in the Docks, where dispatch had already advised Captain James Norton, whom was awaiting our arrival. We were ushered inside immediately.

"Show me what you brought," Captain Norton said, cutting straight to the chase and silencing all the conversation to that point. The corpse was presented and the elf requested his 'usual arrangement', as if this were not the first time he had undergone this procedure.

"Bounties on these black devils is a thing of the past, though," Captain Norton replied, much to the elf's astonishment and protest. "The Windsouls know that?" That reference left most of us scratching our heads. They are, or were, a noble house who instigated a campaign now enshrined in the phrase, Tolerance is Treason, and one with whom he, and Captain Norton, seemed familiar.

"Hah, that song has lost its tune in the last few years," Captain Norton replied and immediately moved on. "Where was this one killed?" Kald answered for us, "Lion's Way." Captain Norton examined the corpse for some time as Jane gave us all a detailed explanation of how the drow's black hair made her some kind of drow societal outcast. How she knew that is another matter entirely.

"If you don't want her, I'll dispose of her. We're going to burn her if they do not," Kald added in the interim of Captain Norton's examination. I even suggested that the Temple of the Watcher be granted the corpse, with recompense paid to the Fist for so doing, that I might ensure it was properly destroyed.

In the end Captain Norton said, "We'll take this one in. The territory is a bit far to offer bounties for, but I can offer an incentive for further disposal of the black devils whenever you see them. Did you make the kill yourself?"

The unnamed elf answered, "Wasn't concerned about the coin as much as turning her over to someone who would treat it with care. Can't abide sympathisers." I wholly concurred, as did Captain Norton himself.

What happened next, however, is how this entire account turned on its head, as if what I've written already were not shocking enough on its own, for which I reserve my third volume.

An Inquiry of Persons on the Coast
and Their Associations with the Drow.

Volume III

Published in Hammer, Year of the Bow, 1354 DR.

Case One: Instigation - Part III

My first two volumes having traced the trail of my first encounters with both pro and anti-drow sentiments by the denizens of the Sword Coast, this first case shall conclude with the final happenstance of our meeting with Captain Norton and the implications to be drawn from it.

I ended the last volume with Captain Norton's announcement that the Flaming Fist was willing to adjust its somewhat quelled policy regarding association with the black devils and the unnamed elf's desire to deliver the body of Sharran, murderer and Hellstorm Pirate Israe'anna to an authority that would take its duty and responsibility with all due care. I personally was rather pleased with this outcome. That is, until Jane Price began to open her mouth again.

"We really should form a list of collaborators and ban them from the city-state," she remarked. Given her wishy-washy stance observed in the previous volume, I was now wary as to how to perceive this idea, although as this book is now a testament, I was more than willing to run with her idea in the end. "Yes, a list of them should be formed, like that strange man in black at the bridge," she added, referring undoubtedly to Vrass in our encounter at Wyrm's Crossing earlier in the day.

Kald added his piece at that moment, words I am sure were also on the tip of the unnamed elf's tongue: "And yourself; could you please just let the captain finish this?" Jane retorted at once, "Kald, you were doing so well with your mouth shut... just stand there and look pretty, please." He replied, "If only you took notes." Jane motioned to Aeric the Scribe. "He already is."

The Oghmanyte concurred, stating his willingness to share what he recorded that day. This account is not his, they are my eyewitness testimony, but I do encourage my readers to cross-reference what I have recorded in these pages with what he recorded in his and you will see they quite agree in their factual content.

"Both of you just cool down and let the Captain do the fine work I've come to expect from him," the elf remarked, trying to calm the conversation down between Jane and Kald.

Captain Norton then said, "Bureaucracy, lists. Little good will come of it. A firm stance..." he stated and trailed off in his pronouncement as he ushered Fist soliders in to take the body away at long last. The captain then uttered another important announcement which brought me some relief in its telling: "Let it be known that I will reinstate bounties upon the cursed drow found upon Duchal Lands."

Content that this pronouncement was the conclusion of the proceedings, those gathered began to disperse, notwithstanding a few conversations between the Captain and Aeric about whether the records of the affairs of that day would be required. Captain Norton assured him they were not.

I lingered for a while and prepared myself to depart after the others, but Jane Price remained with the Captain. "Captain Norton, may I have a brief word?" Captain Norton's momentary gladness at our departure from the barracks turned into a grunt of acknowledgement to the woman. "What?"

Jane pressed her case, and I was astounded when I heard it. "This particular drow has intelligence about her person necessary for a project. Further, she is a perfect candidate for a sort of... squad... needed to free a group of slaves taken by a house, some of them whom were from this city, merchants." "She's dead," the Captain replied bluntly.

Jane continued regardless. "I am aware. Intelligence may be on her body that could be crucial. As for dead, well, those things can change. We both know that." Captain Norton took a long draw of his cigar, remaining silent for some time. Jane continued in a slightly more professional tone. "We would gain back our taken merchants. The problem is, I need a drow like this to pull it off. Of course, I would have to bleach her hair... tedious work. Of course, she will be your prisoner all the way till that day, and even then the chances of her surviving the mission is far from likely."

I shook my head in utter digust, muttering 'collaborator' under my breath as I prepared to leave the barracks. As I did so, I heard Captain Norton's reply echo behind me. "She is dead. Any further enquiries to this abberation, leave it higher up."

Case One: Observations & Implications

I have faithfully and accurately recounted the events, from the very beginning, which first aroused my ire regarding the authenticity of Baldurian Law and its enforcement in the case of drow and those who collaborate with them in this general region.

While I am glad that law was reaffirmed by Captain Norton after the events of 8th Eleint, Year of the Arch, it leaves many pressing and unanswered questions. It became most evident to me during the events of that day that there are many who are both familiar with the drow, know drow, defend drow and collaborate and sympathise with drow for various reasons. I find it hard to believe that those reasons could possibly be to the benefit of Baldur's Gate and its citizens, nevertheless

While Captain Norton believed at the time that a "firm stance" alone was adequate, hindsight has shown us that it has proved utterly ineffectual in the enforcement of the doctrine so effectually encapsulated by the Windsouls in that phrase, Tolerance is Treason. Why are so many who clearly tolerate drow permitted continuing access to Baldur's Gate with unimpeded impugnity if a 'firm stance' is adequate enough to deter them?

I would like to suggest that it both has not, and is not, deterring the many and varied relations that have been uncovered regarding persons on the Coast and their associations with the drow. Why, if there are so many of them (as my following volumes, and that supplied by Sir Anthem Arnemeiger of the Order of the Radiant Heart, shall surely demonstrate) and they are not terribly silent about their affairs either, have there been no voices crying out against their iniquities?

Why, when two voices dared to cry out against this injustice, were we marked as seditious and called to trial to answer for our 'crimes'? It is a crime to hold the safety of the Dukes, the city over which they rule, and its many and fair citizens over and above the rights of these infidels to continue their shameful practices in secret? Or could the saying really be true, and the rock has indeed struck firmly, and struck many, and they now lift up their unified voice at the pains being inflicted?

Furthermore, why is it that Jane Price felt that she could so boldly suggest to Captain James Norton that the body of the drow, Israe'anna, a long time enemy of Baldur's Gate and the Dukes, could or should be released for a 'special mission' of incredibly dubious nature? Why is it that the selfsame Captain James Norton, besides the obvious statement that the drow was dead, would dare to suggest that Jane's request ought to be passed on further up the line?

That implicated only one in my mind, Captain Norton's superior. Duke Eltan. And if Duke Eltan himself is involved, or approved, collaboration with the drow and/or the release of Israe'anna's body, for a special mission or not, does it not therefore justify my hesitancy in bringing my evidences directly to him, thereby risking the ire of those who endorse relations with the drow, in addition to what I have observed to be the general reaction to my revelations? Cover up, secrecy and besmirching those who dared take up the challenge and put a finger on this pulse of corruption lurking within the shadows of this otherwise fair and noble city.

And I declare solemnly that it was all worth it. Not only have I gladly sacrificed my reputation and position within my own Temple (whose defense of the Duchy in this matter continues to astound me), I would do it again without a second thought. Unlike the opinions of those who have falsely accused me, and will likely continue to do so long after this account has been published and disseminated across the Coast, I am dedicated to ensuring the People of Baldur's Gate can live their lives peaceably and free from the secret underbelly of collaboration by many otherwise noble and great societies with that feral and despicable race, the drow.

Now, I admit I have not covered the latter half of my claim which I established at the outset of this inquiry, namely that I was eyewitness to the drow, Israe'anna, later alive. That task is dedicated to my next volume, unto which I now turn my attention and to finally begin to put pen to Jane Price's (feigned?) wish for lists and names.

An Inquiry of Persons on the Coast
and Their Associations with the Drow.

Volume IV.

Published in Hammer, Year of the Bow, 1354 DR.

Case Two - Kirias & 'Friend'.

When I concluded my business with the Flaming Fist on the 8th of Eleint, Year of the Arch, 1354 DR, I never honestly expected to see the black devil again despite Jane Price's request to utilise, if not outright raise from the dead, her for whatever secret society she is truly a part of. Unfortunately, that expectation was subsequently annihilated, the details of which are as follows.

It was just slightly more than two tendays after the events of the 8th of Eleint, being the 29th of Eleint. After taking a routine patrol from Baldur's Gate south to the Friendly Arm Inn, I decided, somewhat spur-of-the-moment, to divert from my initial plan to continue south to Beregost and instead pressed into the Woods of Sharp Teeth to check that the local orc population was still being kept in submission.

When I entered the woods at dusk I met with none of its usual denizens, but as I rounded a gully and emerged into a clearing I saw two figures from the distance, standing and talking. One was very clearly an elf, decked out in his clerical raiment and looking quite well to do. The other was dressed in black, face covered over with mask and cowl, but I could discern from her figure and voice that this was a female.

They both turned instinctively at my approach, just as I instinctively sent my hand to the handle of my mace. One can never be certain what one will encounter in that aptly-named forest, and this was certainly no exception to that.

"Be at peace; the orcs are all you will need that mace for in these woods," the male elf said, clearly noticing that I was on edge. His companion seemed less sure of herself, shifting and fidgeting and constantly looking at the male, as if for reassurance. He responded to her non-verbal cues by placing his hand on her shoulder.

"If you get overwhelmed, just scream loudly. I will come pull you out of their grasp," the masked one said. Her voice was strangely familiar. It was the same that I had encountered pleading surrender on the Lion's way some two tendays before.

The male elf laughed. "Like you did for me, hmm? These are different orcs."

She looked back at him. "These ones are noticeably easier to deal with."

"Indeed. Perhaps wear your holy symbol outside your armour for now," he asked her.

"Me?" she seemed doubtful. He nodded and she took it out from its concealed place about her neck. I could not make out the symbol from where I was, not to mention it was night and the shadows in the forest were long and many, but I did notice its metallic glint when she turned.

"And whom might I be so kind as to thank for the warning of the dangers that lurk in this forest?" I asked them in an appreciative tone.

"Kirias, Cor'Faernsuor of Dharasha priest of Corellon," he answered with a smile.

"And your friend?" I asked, looking at the masked one.

She immediately leaned over and whispered hushedly with Kirias. "If you wish..." he said aloud as an answer to whatever the question was.

She sighed, nodded, looked at me and said, "From what I'm told it's Israe'anna."

"Interesting," I immediately replied, because that was a revelation I was not expecting. Here I was thinking that the Flaming Fist had done the right thing by the elf (whose name is still unknown to me) whom had delivered the drow's corpse over to Captain Norton with the express intention that sympathisers would be a non-issue. Here, now, right before my eyes, was the evidence that that trust had been breached.

"Why do you say that?" Israe'anna immediately asked me.

"Indeed? And who are you?" Kirias concurred with her.

I ignored their plea for identification and replied with my own question. "You needed to be told what your own name was?" I asked her.

She shifted, rubbing her hood and nodded in answer. "I apparently experienced death, and from what I understand I should have been with the faithless. However, I was resurrected for some reason; I do not fully understand it."

Kirias rested his hand on her arm and interrupted, "It's okay, but you don't need to tell everyone every time they ask."

She continued anyway. "Regardless, I worshipped something I shouldn't have been worshipping and was given a second chance. I don't know who or what it was, but my memory is a mess. What I do remember is confusing, and there are large chunks of memory that is just gone."

Kirias interrupted her again at that point, redirecting the conversation in my direction. "You still have yet to identify yourself. Who are you?" he asked me the second time.

"It is impolite to interrupt, don't you know?" I answered, rather more keen to let Israe'anna spill what she knew of her own demise.

"Come then, perhaps we should continue your lessons elsewhere," he turned and said to her.

"If neither of you know my name, perhaps it is best forgotten. I have a feeling, however, that is not the case," I answered, apparently erroneously expecting them to have known that I was one of those who had hunted Israe'anna down and seen to it that she were delivered over to the Flaming Fist.

She asked him, "Have you met her before?"

"If I have, I've not been introduced," he answered her. "If you don't wish to be addressed by your name, or offer it, you should not ask it of others mi'lady," he then answered me.

"Let me just say this, as one dedicated to the safety of the people," I answered them, again ignoring the third plea for identification. "Using a name like Israe'anna is only going to get you killed. Again. Whoever told you that was your name clearly did not think it through."

"Really?" she replied, shocked and clearly on edge at the revelation.

"Be calm," he tried to quell her growing dismay, but I was not done.

"Rather unfortunate that your friend here believes that is you," I continued, motioning at Kirias, "for if it was I would smite you where you stand." Of course, I knew it was Israe'anna, but I now had the damning evidence I needed. I was not willing at the time to dismiss my tactical advantage of knowledge. Furthermore, it was a case of two elves against myself if I decided to press my attack. It was far better, in my judgement, to let this one pass because its revelation alone would do far, far more in highlighting the perversity of drow collaboration in this region, and elves no less, than killing, or being killed by, Israe'anna and her allies ever would.

"But I'm not going to do that because I believe he has mistaken you for someone else," I lied, again not wanting to give him advantage because I knew he was not mistaken in her identity, "a vile criminal hated everywhere the light shines." That part was true. This was Israe'anna, alive again to torment the Coast with her violence.

"Are you quite finished?" he snapped back at me.

"Is your ignorance?" I asked in return, for clearly that was not the case. He knew who she was. He knew she was drow. Why else the face covering, the defensiveness, the secrecy?

"We have business, and unfortunately you've interrupted and I've yet to hear a cause or your name," he said, a vain attempt to worm his way out of the impending predicament. "Is this how the faithful of Helm conduct themselves?" he said, obviously identifying the symbol upon my breastplate then. But now was the time to drive the dagger of treason further inside, for I had caught an elf with a drow and he knew it.

"Pryat Mae yr Machshikhah," I now identified myself fully. "I assisted the elf who finally brought Israe'anna's crimes to their end. And yes, it is," I commented about my manner of conduct. "Unlike some of your kind, we actually value the truth."

"Then you've got no business left here, since, as you say, you brought that other business to an end."

"I implied that quite some time ago, but you were the one continuing to ask questions," I retorted.

"This could not be the other you speak of," he now brazenly lied to my face. But it was too late. I already knew. He could not now change his story at the end.

"Quite," I concluded, ready to resume my patrol. "It would be quite a large furore if the Flaming Fist came to understand that their most hated criminal was once again alive and roaming under the light of the sun and moon."

Case Two: Observations & Implications

Most of this case reads for itself. An elf giving the drow Israe'anna lessons and conduction business deep in the Sharp Teeth Woods, away from prying eyes and ears. Or so they thought.

Of course, questions will naturally be asked of me concerning my method of interrogation, but I regret nothing. I am already strung up by the Dukes of this city while they do nothing else than cover their own treachery, making me the scapegoat for their own inquities. Of course the Temple of Helm would disown me, given how they share the same bed as Duke Eltan and likely partake in the same lascivious deeds of drow butt-kissing as he has, given his responsibilty for the Flaming Fist's mishandling of this entire matter.

And of course Lord Darius would string me up as seditious, but did you read between the lines when he asked for this city to "look past differences of race"? What he actually meant, like his pawn paladin Taevemira spoke after him, is that there will soon be a public announcement that good drow exist, and their presence in Baldur's Gate will be tolerated!

I wish all of Baldur's Gate to be united and harmonious. I wish the Dukes to come to their senses and increase taxes on the Thayans and the Zhents and reduce them on Baldurian business, like Darius Holding Company, so that the city will not be indebted to evil. But I will not hide the plain and obvious truth that Baldur's Gate is a city which harbours drow sympathisers and punishes those who expose them.

A Discourse on the Laws of Baldur's Gate

Published 7th of Alturiak, Year of the Bow, 1354 DR.

Introduction

The 20th of Hammer in the Year of the Bow, 1354 DR, marked an important occasion on the Duchal calendar, for it was on that day that the Laws of Baldur's Gate received a significant revision in their tenure, strength and reach.

This tractate serves to explore the precise changes made to Baldurian Law in the recent Duchal Declaration, and the implications that they bring for the common citizenry of the fair city of Baldur's Gate.

First Change - Practice of The Dark Arts and Consorts Thereunto

As is fair and just for the city of Baldur's Gate and its environs, the Dukes of Baldur's Gate have reaffirmed their stance on the prohibition of those nefarious and dark practices that goodly folk would do well to remain in ignorance of: necromancy, eldritch, or pact, magic and blood magic are condemned practices within the city.

What was added was the prohibition of the trade of items or magic of such nature, as well as a new provision that consorts with those who practice such terrible deeds are likewise guilty of an offense meriting up to capital punishment.

Further clarification of this clause was then added, wherein Duchal sovereignty is given the right of discretion in judgement. The provision on consorting specifically states that "unless specifically sanctioned by the Dukes of Baldur's Gate," and "this law only applies to individual beings and not organisations or polities." Furthermore, "the consorting provision... is only for offenses that took place on or after 20th Hammer, 1354 DR," and that "the definition of consorting will be up to the discretion of Baldurian Magistrates of the law on a case by case basis."

Implications

While certainly a noble and just in its intentions, the changes to the Baldurian laws prohibiting the Dark Arts leave more questions than answers. It does not take more than a cursory examination of the changes to begin to ask some penetrating and poignant questions.

The provision of Sanction encapsulated in the law is the first glaring one of these and basically says that the Dukes may indeed permit the practice of the Dark Arts in this fair city if they so choose.

Now, while I do not honestly expect they have or will intend on doing so, it does, once again, open the issue of why the Dukes feel such a provision is necessary? Who could they possibly want practising the Dark Arts in their city? Or are they just trying to cover over the fact that Halbazzer Drin has been selling foul, despicable and abominable necromantic magic (specifically Animate Dead & Energy Drain) for gods-knows-how-long and they wished to preserve his good reputation because he keeps the mould and mildew at bay? What are the Flaming Fist doing deep down in their dungeons, anyway?

Notice the law on 'consorting' specifically applies only to individuals; organisations and polities are exempt. That is to suggest that an approved organisation, such as the Red Wizards of Thay, the Zhentarim & the Harpers, just to give three examples, may freely and unashamedly, as organisations, consort with those who defile and desecrate all that is good and holy in the world with full and complete knowledge that the law is beyond their reach. Unassociated, and therefore unapproved, individuals are as far as it can reach.

Lastly, the exemption of time has basically offered amnesty to all against which evidence could be presented that they have not only consorted with, but perhaps themselves practised, the Dark Arts before the 20th of Hammer. It does make one wonder whom the Dukes had in mind that they did not wish to incriminate and open to punishments of a retroactive law, had such a clause not been included. As it is, they remain free and unpunished.

Second Change - The Orcs and the Drow and Consorts Thereunto

As with the changes to the Dark Arts above, relations with those two feral races, the orcs and the drow, have undergone a similar revision.

Their undeniable evil is reaffirmed, but once again we see that the same consorting provisions and exemptions have been added. The wording is identical to that for the Dark Arts above, which I feel no need to repeat again as the texts themselves are more than available in the Duchal Palace.

Implications

As above, it once again begs the question for those who can read between the lines of the law: whom are the Dukes now protecting by crafting their legal revisions in such a manner?

It is again explicit that those "officially sanctioned to do so" are permitted to consort with orcs and drow, presumably for the same 'good' of the city that sanctioned practitioners of the Dark Arts may exhibit.

It is explicit that these laws offer amnesty to "organisations and polities," and for good reason. The idea that the Zhents, the Red Wizards and the Harpers continue to maintain good relations with those black dogs from beneath yet enjoy Duchal privileges in politics and economics must sit terribly uncomfortably in their laps, thus the necessity to exclude them, by unnamed implication, from the reformed laws seems like an uttermost necessity.

Lastly, as above with the Dark Arts, the time exemption offers amnesty, if not outright immunity, from all information previously collected and possibly presented in evidence to condemn those whom have undeniable links and associations with the orcs and drow prior to 20th Hammer, 1354 DR.

This is a very cunning and clever ploy by the Dukes, lest they be forced to actually begin punishing those selfsame "organisations and polities" who break the same laws in secret that they claim to uphold in public. A retroactive law would undoubtedly have forced the Duchal hand against them, and that was simply an impossibility to them because they wish to continue to have their cake and eat it too.

Summary

It might be well thought that the new laws are certainly a step in the right direction for the city of Baldur's Gate, but in the end they actually accomplish nothing at all.

Those organisations that already have indisputable links to the Dark Arts, the orcs and the drow, the primary evidence of which is now worthless to Baldurian Courts, are now at complete and unhindered liberty to continue their nefarious practices in secret, as they have always done.

It would have been better if the Dukes of Baldur's Gate simply offered a declaration of complete and unconditional amnesty to all those who practice, collude and collaborate with the Dark Arts, the orcs and the drow, and then wholly overturned all current laws on their prohibition entirely. Let the necromancers, blood mages, pact mages, orcs and drow flood through the walls! It would not be any different to the Baldur's Gate that exists now, and presumably long into the future.

Long lives the Dukes!
Long live Baldur's Gate!